Can You Ride A Horse?
by J.W.Fathom
Summary: COMPLETED The first of "Gifts of Humor and Love" What would an English School of Magic want with a Tennessee country girl? Harry is bewitched, as is Dante, where will this lead them? How will Hogwarts react to a girl that isn't afraid to get dirty? Read, and see. OC
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This story doesn't revolve around Harry; it revolves around my own character that is always around Harry. Most of the time it is narrative. I wouldn't consider it a character's point of view per se, but when you read it occasionally you'll see it how a particular character would feel/see it. I hope you can follow it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Dantelesca Browning was sitting at the dinner table ignoring her breakfast. Something outside the window was hovering in the sky and seemed to be drawing closer to the house. After a few more minutes of observation she came to the conclusion it was an owl. Living in the country brought many animals around on a regular basis, but she rarely spotted an owl during the day.

It landed softly on the back porch, just outside the double glass sliding doors. Dante was momentarily frozen in her seat looking at the envelope held in the dark brown owl's beak. It lightly pecked the glass to inform her it wanted in.

"What was that?" asked her dad as he walked into the kitchen.

"An owl," Dante responded, finally getting to her feet to open the door. She watched it lift itself up to perch on the back of a chair and drop the envelope onto the table.

"That…is odd," Dante's dad said slowly, frowning at the behavior of the bird. The owl looked at him, as if it understood what he said.

"I wonder if it's hungry?" Dante said absentmindedly as she picked up the envelope. She opened it as she watched the owl pick at her plate. She smiled at it before reading the letter it had brought. "Dad, I think you should call Mom and tell her to leave the office early. It seems we will be getting a visit from a Mr. Townsend this evening," she said over her shoulder to her father.

At the bottom of the letter it asked to reply. Dante quickly ran to her mother's study and wrote a short note. She walked back into the kitchen and laughed when she saw her father taking pictures of the owl and asking it questions.

"Of course it won't talk back, Dad," she said, "but I do think it's waiting for this."

She held the small folded paper to the own which gently took it and rose into the air and out the open door, to return to where ever it had come from. Her dad was reading the letter when she turned back to him.

"Well, I guess your mother was right, and this certainly does explain all the happenings you've been through all these years," he said. "I'll go call your mother, will you go check the horses please?"

"Sure thing," she responded, pulling her boots on and walking out the door. Her German Shepard, Mufasa, named from the Disney film, was staring up at the sky, where the unexpected visitor had flown from. "Come on, Mufasa, let's check the animals," she said loudly, breaking the dog's trance. He wagged his tail and walked beside her towards the fields.

As she walked towards the pond, Dante thought back to all the strange things that had happened in the past. When she was seven a coyote had spooked her horse, causing her to fall into the freezing temperatures of the lake during winter. She knew she wouldn't be able to swim to shore and was nearly sure she was going to die. Yet, as she strained to reach the shore, a second later she was out of the death trap and standing on the bank. Her horse returned to her side and waited for the half-frozen girl to clamber up the saddle and quickly ran her towards the house.

Another time, at age five, Dante was in her strawberry patch and walked upon a snake. The rattle reached her ears and stopped her from stepping on it. Out of panic the word "no" left her lips. The snake stopped shaking the tip of its tail and slowly made his way past the girl and into the woods.

Dante's mother had witnessed both of these events from afar and had guessed the cause.

"I believe she is a witch," she heard Mom telling her dad.

"That's awful for you to say, Lesta!" he exclaimed.

"Dan, I don't mean it in an evil way! There are magical people out in the world, I've seen them. My grandmother was a wizard. I believe Dantelesca has acquired the sporadic gene," she explained.

Dante reached the horses, Kibbles and Mix, and led them to the stable after Mufasa played with them for a few minutes, trying to grab their tails as they swished back and forth. "You knew there was something strange, didn't you boy? But you never left me," she said to the following dog. She looked down at him, thinking of the time the loyal friend had helped her last year. A hunter had crossed the fence onto their land while Dante was out, dressed in her hunting gear. She was after a turkey she had been listening to all morning. Mufasa knew to stay at the house unless called for, so she was on her own. Unfortunately, neither hunter knew there was another after the same turkey.

A shot was fired followed by flapping of wings. Dante lifted her hand to her face and felt warm liquid falling. She looked at her hand and saw her fear; she had been peppered by the shotgun blast. Slowly going into shock she called for Mufasa, hoping he was still on the porch and not in the house. She called again, hoping he would sense the urgency. Dante pulled herself up and made for the clearing, the turkey and trespasser forgotten. Within minutes Mufasa was at her side, whining at her.

"_Go get Dad, Mufasa. Go get Daddy,"_ she said before blacking out.

She heard quiet beeps and murmuring when she came to.

"_She's very lucky, Mr. and Mrs. Browning. We pulled pellets from her skull, face, shoulder and some from her chest. You are lucky to have such a persistent dog."_

Dante opened her eyes, seeing the doctor talking to her parents made her thankful for the pup she was given for her birthday. A police officer walked in and seeing she was awake, asked permission to write a report. After relaying the events the cop left, leaving her worrying if she was in trouble with her parents. She was slightly afraid her hunting privileges would be taken away.

"_It's fine," _Dan said with a smile. _"I guess we'll have to put up signs won't we, Peanut?"_

Dante smiled, the use of her nickname meant she wasn't in trouble. It only took her a few days to recover. The whole healing process kept her hungry for chocolate, a strange craving since she hardly ate sweets.

Dante left the stable. She had fed and brushed the horses, now she needed to collect eggs from the coop and check her goat. By noon her chores were finished and decided to make some lunch for her dad and herself. As she laid out all the sandwich necessities she heard her mom enter the house, greeted by Dan and the letter they had received. Lesta walked into the kitchen with a smile on her face. Dante laughed, she knew the look on her mother's face was one that said "I told you so."

The Browning's sat around the kitchen table, eating sandwiches and discussing what the night held in store for them. Dan was excited his little girl would be going to a school. He began home schooling her when she turned four, a young age maybe, but the little blond was quite smart and progressed in her studies quickly. He always felt bad she didn't have many friends, but she never complained. Lesta thought the idea of having magic around the house was wonderful. Her grandmother only showed magic around her when she was little, making her promise not to tell a soul. Lesta had taken Grandmother Tulip's death the hardest, knowing she would never know anything about the magical world except the bedtime stories. Dante was sure it wasn't a scam, but it was hard for her to believe she would be able to do magic. What kind of life would she have now? How would she learn to control everything? What does it mean? Little did the Browning family, especially Dante, know, everything was going to change.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It had been a month since the Browning's had a curious visitor. Since that night the air of the household was different; almost excited. Dante was once again ignoring her breakfast as she sat at the kitchen table. The past month had been uneventful and slow for the young girl. Slowly and mechanically her hand dipped a spoon into a bowl of cereal and raised it to her mouth to insert the crunchiness and then chewed. It was a slow process this morning because Dante was thinking of the night the first wizard she had ever seen entered her house.

_Dante read the clock and noticed it was a quarter to six. The family was sitting down for dinner when a loud pop was heard, followed by Mufasa barking loudly, which then led to yells of help. Dante quickly ran to the rescue at the front door._

"_Heel!" she exclaimed. Mufasa immediately sat and stopped barking, but did not take his eyes off the visitor. "I am so sorry!" she said as the turned to the presumed Mr. Townsend._

"_Quite alright, my dear. My name is Lloyd Townsend. I owled you this morning," he said, nervously looking at the dog._

"_Yes, of course, please come in," she said quickly. She patted Mufasa before leading the guest to the dining room. "You've arrived just in time to eat. I hope you like wild turkey."_

"_I do not want to impose. Should I come back another day?"_

"_Don't be silly, you should eat with us. You're our guest."_

_Lloyd Townsend absolutely loved the dinner. Dante watched his every move, looking for any sign of magic. Of course she didn't stare, that was rude. She did, however, decide the whole situation odd. Yes, she was raised to keep an open mind, but this was beyond her imagination. A man was sitting in her dining room, discussing the mechanics of his job. He worked at a Bureau of Magic, he explained it was a government branch, but had nothing to do with the line of rules "muggles" followed. Muggles were people who didn't have magic. He was assigned to reach out to Dantelesca Browning of Guarden Spring Ranch outside a small town in Tennessee. _

_The British Ministry of Magic contacted the American magical government and informed them of an underage witch performing accidental magic. Since then they had been monitoring the progress of her magic. The Browning's thought it was odd they had been watched for nearly two years without any notice or explanation. Townsend explained it was against the law for witches and wizards to see them unless it was dire. He said if the young child they were to monitor endangered any lives they would step into action. He was pleased to inform there were no reports of assistance for Dante's particular case._

_Dan led Lloyd to the sitting room followed by Lesta and Dante, leaving the dirty dishes to be dealt with after their talk._

"_Now, I must get to the point," Lloyd started. "As you know, Dante will be eleven soon, and that marks the start for her education. I know she has been home schooled, but soon she will need to attend a magical school. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which resides in Britain, has taken a fond interest in Miss Browning and will soon be sending an acceptance letter. There are of course other schools, some in other countries, a few in the states, and I expect you will receive letters from them as well. You may choose whichever school you wish to attend."_

_Dante remained quiet as her parents asked Townsend questions and clarified certain aspects of the laws and how it affected them as a family. Dan asked all the necessary questions while his wife took notes and wrote reminders down. Mufasa stood by Dante and watched the man as he changed the family's way of thinking. _

"_If that will be all it is time for me to take my leave," he said as he stood and shook hands with the Dan and Lesta._

"_Wait! Can I see magic? Will you do something?" Dante asked, eyes wide in wonder._

"_Yes," he replied as he waved his wand. He bid farewell with a smile and a loud pop._

"_I didn't see anything, but now we know what made Mufasa bark his head off," Dante commented. _

"_Oh well, come on, we need to clean up the kitchen."_

_Upon entering the kitchen, the three Brownings stopped and stared in awe. The dishes had been washed and put away, the table and chairs cleaned off and neat, and the whole room smelled faintly of lemons._

"_I hope you learn to do this," Lesta said with a smile at her daughter._

"_And so much more," Dante whispered._

A lemon smell could still be detected from time to time, or maybe it was just the girl's imagination. Either way, it always reminded her of the night that had started the beginning of her new life. A life with a school filled with kids not only her age, but of kids who were like her. Dante had been making lists of what she would need, dreaming of what she would do and see, and dreading leaving her parents; family time was limited and she hated to miss the opportunities.

Lesta worked at her office during the day, and in her home study at night. She often left for weeks at a time, traveling and giving presentations, charming businesses and making deals. Lesta was fantastic at her job; working with museums and artifacts was her passion. Plus the pay wasn't something to sneeze at. Dan didn't have a job, his wife worked and gladly paid for everything. Dan taught Dantelesca at home. Along with basic schooling he taught her how to sew, hunt, ride, work on machines, fish, tend to gardens, and take care of their 120 acres the house sat on.

Dante heard the familiar click of heels in the hall and turned to look confusedly at her mother when she entered the kitchen. A smile graced Lesta's face as she looked at her little witch. She almost felt selfish for being so jubilant about Dante and her future with magic; she was ready to hear about the other world once again. She knew her surprise would be welcome, it wasn't every day she left the office early, especially before lunch.

"If I'm not mistaken, you need to buy some things, Dantelesca. I have plane tickets. Go pack, we're staying in London until you leave for Hogwarts," she said with a smile.

"What? Really? That's so cool, Mom, thanks!" Dante exclaimed, hugging her mom before running up the stairs to her room.

Three hours later the Brownings were loading their suitcases into the back of their full-sized truck. Dante hugged and kissed Mufasa before leaving with tear tracks down her cheeks. Tears continued to fall as she watched the Tennessee landscape pass the window. Once they passed under the Guarden Spring Ranch entrance she shook herself and wiped away the sadness. She needed to get over the fact she wasn't a little country girl anymore. She was about to move to a different country, meet all new people, go to a school, hopefully learn a few things, and return over the summer as an educated country witch.

The trip was long and boring, as were all the stops they had to make. Lesta kept busy with museum aspects while her husband usually slept when he could. Dante read her letters over and over, letting her imagination take over to daydream of the new life she would start. As soon as the hotel room door was unlocked, Dante took to the attached room and collapsed on the bed in exhaustion. The next day they were visiting Diagon Alley to get her stuff, but at that moment she was too tired to be excited. That night her worn down brain only allowed dreams of bubbling cauldrons and witches on brooms.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Lesta woke her daughter the next morning. It was time for them all to shower and dress for the day. A quick stop for a walk-along breakfast and they were ready to spend money. Dante had read the letters so many times it felt like she had already been through the Leaky Cauldron, but that didn't stop her from gazing around the dark atmosphere and take in all the different people in the pub. As soon as the wall was opened for them, the sight before them stopped their hearts.

Stone pathways wound around little shops, up small hills and through cramped alleyways. On one end stood a beautiful, white stone building overlooking the area full of shops, people, and magic. They headed to said building, following instructions from the Ministry of Magic they had received once they informed the Bureau Dante was attending Hogwarts. As they approached they read "Gringotts" above the doorway along with a poem practically threatening humans.

After they exchanged their money for wizard currency, and trying hard to not stare at the goblins running the bank, they set out to look at all the shops. Lesta had told Dante to not worry about any costs of the things she needed or for anything she wanted. The young girl didn't talk much, she was too busy taking in the sights and listening to people conversing along the pathway and in the shops.

She saw robes in a window and remembered she needed to get a few sets. She quickly headed for the door but nearly ran into a dark headed boy who was holding an ice cream cone.

"Oh! I am so sorry, I didn't watch my step. I'm glad your ice cream didn't fall," she said to the boy. She noticed a hint of a scar above his eye.

"It's quite alright, no harm done," he replied with a smile. "Getting robes I see, the tailor is nice and I didn't get poked once."

"That's good news. Enjoy your ice cream, I have a lot to do still, maybe I'll see you around."

"Yeah, alright, see you, then," he said as Dante walked into the shop, followed by her parents who smiled warmly at him.

Inside the shop Dan and Lesta sat in some chairs and started looking over the papers telling what items remained for school. Dante stepped up on a platform next to a blond haired boy. He looked at her curiously before saying, in a bored voice, "You don't seem to be from here."

Dante snuck a glance at her parents. They were talking quietly while running or pointing a finger down the list of her supplies. Her father was wearing nice slacks, loafers, and a button up long sleeved shirt under a velvety vest. Her mother was hearing an outfit she would wear to work; heels, one of those high-waist skirts Dante considered ugly, and a beautiful white blouse. Was it that obvious they were normal? She rounded to him after her observation and asked, "What's that s'pose to mean, blondie?"

The blond boy's eyes widened but quickly looked bored again.

"I was saying you and your parents don't look like you've been in London long."

"We've just gotten here yesterday. We're staying for a few more days until I leave for school."

"Where will you be attending?" he asked.

"You're finished, dear," the tailor's voice rounded to her.

"Thank you. Mom, please pay, I'm needing some air," Dante said quickly.

When she left the store a man with long blond hair passed her and stepped inside calling, "Draco!"

Dan walked out behind his daughter. "An animal? The shop's just right there, " he said, pointing it out to Dante.

She ran in and instantly her eyes met many things at once. Owls of all sized were hanging in cages and perched along the walls. Rats, in every color possible, were caged up, all running wildly and showing off for customers. A second later she heard some cats purring down the aisle and quickly walked past it, she had never been a cat person.

"Take your time, Miss, they choose you most of the time," said the shopkeeper.

Dante nodded as she made her way around the shop. She saw a bushy haired girl pick up an ugly, smashed-face cat and watched her gush over it. She silently hoped her pet wouldn't be ugly. A nip at her hair made her turn quickly. She was face to face with a pair of green eyes that seemed to smile in amusement at her reaction. She slowly raised her hand to stroke the beautiful black owl. White surrounded its eyes and speckled its wings and tail feathers. The owl nudged into her hand for her to continue the petting.

"Looks like you've been found miss," the shopkeeper said as he walked up.

"I believe so. I know he's perfect. I'll take him and anything I'll need for him," Dante responded. She watched the bird hop onto the keeper's arm as Dan walked up to her, holding some of her supplies.

"Time for a wand, Peanut," he said.

"Oh! I can't believe I forgot! Once I get my owl back we'll head over. Mom, are you sure I haven't spent too much money?" she asked Lesta, who smiled warmly down at her.

"If anything dear, you haven't spent enough! If there's nothing here you want, we can go shopping around London. New clothes if you want?" she asked her daughter.

"Alright, we'll see. Oh, look! My owl! Isn't he awesome?" she asked with wide eyes.

They all gushed over the new companion as they looked in various shop windows, making their way to the wand shop. Her parents waited outside while she stepped inside Ollivander's doorway. She was handed various wands, all different woods and sizes, as the old man mumbled to himself. Every flick made was "no good" and the wand laid aside. Just as she was about to give up, a different wand was placed in her hand. It was cool to the touch and tickled her fingertips. Before her eyes the end of the wand began taking shape. Dante watched in awe as beautiful feather designs crept from the end up to midway of the wand.

A silent moment passed as the young girl and the old wandmaker looked at each other, both wanting an explanation. The doorbell rang, signaling someone one needing attention. Dante looked back down to her wand then took the box it came out of to peer at the label. She looked around, placed the appropriate amount of money on the counter and left the shop. All confusion over the wand was quickly forgotten when she heard her father mention their last stop: the bookshop.

While Lesta picked up the necessary books, the country witch wandered around, looking for a book to pop out at her to buy for fun. Little did she know, the books were watching her. A big red book jumped off the shelf and hit her in the head. She looked down and saw a large book exposing its pages. Upon further inspection she noticed they were a collection of fairy tales. She decided to get it along with another book full of stones and their uses.

"Let's go, Mom, I'm beat. I want to eat."

"Alright, go find Dad and I'll meet you outside."

Dante found her dad talking with a bunch of redheads, laughing and carrying on as if he knew them his whole life. She rolled her eyes playfully as she walked up to the chatting group. To her confusion he was talking about their lawnmower. Dante nearly told her dad that the grass cutter was a lame subject, but thought maybe the magical world hardly used machines. The look on the older man's face was full of wonder as Dan started talking about belts and motors.

"Sorry, my dad loves muggle contraptions," Dante heard to her right. She turned to look at the speaker and found yet another red head. She smiled and nodded her head at him, but then frowned at the foreign word.

"I'm sorry? Muggle?" she asked the boy.

"Oh, I didn't mean any disrespect!" he said quickly.

"No, no, I just don't understand…I'm sure I've heard that word before..."

"Muggle? It's what us wizards call non magic blokes. I'm guessing your mom is a witch?"

"No, I'm the only one, Mom and Dad are, um, muggles as you say."  
>"Wow, hardly hear of that happening. That's neat. Did they pass out when your letter came?"<p>

"No, actually we've thought something was different with me nearly all my life. Turns out my great grandmother was a wizard, on my mom's side."

"That's really neat," the boy repeated.

"Yes, I s'pose, but really I must leave, and take my dad with me. Nice meeting you," Dante said and turned to her dad.

"Dan," she said. She only called him that when she needed his attention. He turned to her quickly. "Mom's waiting, we need to leave."

"Did you set a prank? Is that why we're leaving?" he asked, laughing, but with a serious look in his eyes.

"No, of course not,' she replied with an impressive fake laugh. "We need to get to the room, it's getting late."

"Very well," he said, turning to the ginger family. "It was a pleasure, but my daughter says it's time to go. Have a good day!" He smiled at the family and left with his daughter. "These wizards are strange, but nice enough."

Once they returned to the hotel and packed the new items they decided to order food to be brought to their rooms. As they sat around eating their take out they swapped theories of the life the Tennessee girl was about to start. In just a few short days, Dan and Lesta's only child was going to attend a school far away from home. While most of the emotions were happy ones, all three of them were feeling a little down about being separated. It wasn't everyday a girl ends up being a witch and wants to attend a school thousands of miles away…or maybe it was.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: In this chapter Dante will finally arrive at Hogwarts and meets the Chosen One along the way. Those of you who will be alerted of this chapter, thanks for thinking my story is interesting, I hope I don't disappoint. Enjoy! P.S. there is one "f" word in this chapter. **

Chapter 4

The next two days were full of shopping and sight-seeing. None of them had been to London as a family and declared their time together as an over-do family vacation. Dante was glad to spend time with her family, but she was ready to start school and begin her life as a witch. During her downtime she pulled a book from her luggage and glanced through it; she was anxious to know more.

Finally it was the morning to leave for Hogwarts. She pulled her jeans on before slipping her feet into her favorite Justin boots. She had gotten used to the atmosphere but still pulled a long-sleeved shirt over her tank for the chill. Dan and Lesta helped Dante with all her baggage and once out of the cab, walked with her to the platform. They said quick good-byes and promises to write were exchanged, along with hugs and kisses.

"Take care of Mufasa, Dad. And Mom, take care of Dad," she said with a smile.

"Of course, now go! Don't be late!"

She waved one last time and headed down the walkway in search for her train. It took her ten minutes before realizing people were disappearing into a stone arch. She smiled at the joke.

"Clever, nine and three quarters," she murmured.

She pulled her things while carrying her new companion, the owl she fell in love with at the shop, and passed through the archway. In a blink of her eyes she was staring at a platform filled with people and luggage, but what caught her attention was the train she would soon be boarding. She never really thought much on trains, but suddenly she decided she would look into it more. The old engine was beautiful in her eyes and hoped the seating was as comfortable as the sound of the whistle that blew.

"I'll take those for you. No worries, your owl will be taken care of," said a young man in uniform.

"Oh, thank you. I'll take this with me," she replied, taking her camo backpack. She had stuffed a set of robes into it before leaving the hotel. It also held some money, her wand, a book she got in Diagon Alley, and a notebook.

She walked through the crowd, watching and listening to everyone. She heard sobs, cries, cheers, welcomes, good-byes, and various shouts. The young girl walked up into the train and made her way towards an empty cart. She sat down next to the window and looked out to the platform. A group of redheads made their way around to Dane's sight. A little girl, Dante guessed a sister, was crying, saying she wanted to go as well. She was so deep into people watching she hardly heard the door slide open behind her. She turned to see who had entered and noticed it was the dark haired boy from her first trip into the Alley.

"Hi, is it alright if I sit with you? People won't leave me alone," he finally looked up as he finished his sentence to see Dante's face. "Oh! You're the girl from Diagon Alley."

"How was the ice cream?" she asked playfully.

"It was quite delicious, thank you for asking," he said with a smile.

"I don't mind your company if you still want to sit."

"Thank you so much."  
>"Why are people bothering you?"<p>

"Um, well, because of my scar I suppose."

"That's weird. I have plenty of scars, don't feel bad. I saw your forehead last time we met. Check this out," she said as she lifted her hand and showed a long, thick line of raised skin along her finger.

"Whoa! How did you get that?"

"I was trying to fish on my own like a big girl when I was seven. The hook went into my finger, then somehow it slid down and took some skin with it. Mom was furious. I was grounded from the pond for like a whole month," she laughed as she let her hand fall to her lap. "So what's your name?"

"You don't know my name?" he asked in disbelief.

"No, I don't think you've told me," she responded, scrunching up her face in thought. "Nope, you definitely haven't said any names yet."

"Well, usually people see my scar and know who I am."

"You're famous for your well-arranged scar?"

"I survived the killing curse, the only one ever to do so. I was only a baby. I don't have my parents anymore I've been raised by my aunt and uncle, grew up with my over-sized cousin, and only known of my fame since that day at Diagon Alley. I've known I'm a wizard only a short while longer."

"Wow, a lot to take in I bet. I've known for a while, but neither of my parents are magical so I don't know anything either. I've never had a friend that wasn't an animal, I only see my parents since we live in BFN and so I'm extremely nervous to be attending a school with _other_ kids. We're almost in the same boat," Dante finished with a smile.

"What does 'BFN' stand for?"

"Oh, Bum Fucked Nowhere. I live in the woods and hills of Tennessee."  
>"I thought you sounded strange! You're from the states. That is awesome," the boy said with another smile.<p>

"I sound strange? What about you? I love listening to this country!" she laughed, as the landscape rolling by went unnoticed.

The train ride was a pleasant one for Dante and her new friend, or she hoped he was. It was dark outside when the travelers were told to change, that they would be arriving within minutes. Thankful she had a set of robes in her bag, she slipped hers on while the boy dug his out of the trunk he loaded with him. After making their way down the crowded train aisle they stepped onto the platform and followed the other kids about their size. All the new students fell into a jog behind a large man and stopped at a set of stone steps. Before them were multiple rowboats to be boarded, waving slightly in the water. One at a time the kids hopped into the boats as instructed. Dante looked up and helped the dark-haired boy in.

"Now we're in the same boat," he said with a smile. "My name's Harry Potter," he added as he shook her hand as he sat down across from her.

"Dantelesca Browning. Dante, if you would," she replied with her own smile.

The boats took off from shore, silently floating out into the darkness as the kids' whispers echoed off the surface of the black water. Just as panic was rising someone shouted, "Look! There!" Dante turned and saw lights around a castle, giving it every right to glow and look grand. She couldn't help but think of a knight fighting a dragon to rescue a princess as she looked about the magnificent surroundings and relayed her thoughts to Harry, who agreed with his new friend.

Upon arrival across the water and around the bend the students climbed up a separate set of stone steps and waited, once again following orders. A few minutes later they were lined single-file and walking through huge double doors. Four tables sat in the great room, full of students chatting about their summers. Another table sat up on a platform, many older witches and wizards sat there, talking amongst themselves.

Each student took their turn being sorted. Some took a while, others barely had to Sorting Hat upon their heads before shouting their house name.

"Browning, Dantelesca," called the witch who had walked them into the hall.

Dante sat on the stool, the hat was placed on her head, and immediately the hat began sneaking around her mind.

"Oh! How challenging!" a voice exclaimed in her head. "You are quite the sneak are you not? But your mischief is clever, well thought out, and does not bring harm. You are full of knowledge…and something else. Oh, and a silver tongue-and a dirty mouth at times! So much loyalty I can feel…. Now, where to put you? I think I'll put you in Gryffindor!"

A table exploded with cheers to her left. She took the hat off, winked at it and ran off to take a seat after placing it on the stool. The rest of the sorting went fairly fast; Harry Potter took a seat net to Dante and smiled politely to a Hermione Granger. The redhead from the bookstore, Dante noticed, named Ronald Weasley, also made his way to the table. He was soon harassed by two other redheads, twins, and Dante laughed at their obvious brotherly banter.

Everyone had been sorted and allowed to eat after a long bearded man spoke. Dante was talking with Harry and everyone surrounding them as she ate. She felt stares towards Harry and she could tell he was getting uncomfortable. She caught his eyes and winked before loudly proclaiming, "I'm pretty sure he knows about the scar on his _face_, you don't have to drop hints. Mind your own business if you can't be polite!"

The twins started a slow clap to break the silence that followed Dante's short speech. Everyone started laughing and apologizing, all in good spirits again.

"Bloody brilliant!" one said.

"I loved it!" said the other.

Dante laughed with Harry and resumed many conversations, all more comfortable and relaxed than they had been. The country girl snuck a look around the hall and decided the change in culture wasn't going to be so bad. She had at least one friend, and that was all she needed. Though, he did need a bit of a confidence boost. Dante smirked at the thought. Yep, this school was about to get a lot more interesting.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I hope by now you get the main feel of Dante. She's a family girl, only child, Daddy's girl, yet still outgoing. This chapter is a tad bit longer, but I don't think anyone will notice. Just wait, things get exciting in the next chapter…or at least, I think so. Enjoy!**

Chapter 5

The halls of Hogwarts rested during the summer holiday and enjoyed simple evenings the first night the students returned. The portraits usually refrained from speaking too much to the new students and opted in friendly smiles and waves. The staircases behaved the first night, as to not frighten the first years too much. Most of the ghosts went about their business and left the kids to retire to their dorms directly after the annual Welcoming Feast. It was a normal occurrence for the corridors to hear whispers the first night the doors opened for a new year, but this wasn't a normal year.

All the students were released from the Great Hall, all full from eating so much delicious food, tired from all the excitement and ready for sleep. As the Gryffindors walked to their House the redheaded twins ran to meet Dante.

"Dantelesca, am I right?"

"No," she responded, looking confused.

"I could have sworn that was your name," one said as he looked at his brother for verification.

"It's Dante. No 'lesca' please," she finally said with a smile.

"Well, then," a twin feigned a snobby attitude.

"We'll just be off," finished the other.

"Oh, please don't go!" Dante laughed after acting like she would cry.

"He's George," said one.

"I'm George," offered George.

"I'm Fred," explained the other.

"You're Dante," George pointed.

"And this is Harry, _the_ famous Harry Potter!" Dante finished, faking excitement. Immediately the twins joined her in swooning over the dark haired boy, begging for autographs and touching his face adoringly, causing all of them to laugh hysterically.

The three joked all the way to the common room, putting on a show for Harry and the others as he melted with the crowd to enjoy the laughter. They all respectively quieted to listen to Professor McGonagall explain the rules. Dante smiled as she noticed Fred and George were the only returning students in the crowd in front of their House head.

"I'm off to bed, boys, see you in the morning I s'pose," Dante said with a salute after they were dismissed. The twins came to attention and saluted the girl as she walked up the stairs. A familiar hoot was heard when Dante entered her sleeping quarters. She ran to her awaiting owl and gave him a treat.

"He's beautiful," came a voice behind her.

"Thanks," Dante said as she turned to see the bushy-haired girl from the animal shop.

"Hermione Granger," the girl confirmed.

"Dante Browning, you've got a cat right?"

"Yes, that's right. He's absolutely awful, but I love him anyhow. Named him Crookshanks."

"I see. This is Bartemus. Though I think it'll just be 'Bart' before too long."

"Interesting," she commented, clearly unsure of what to say next.

"Are you from a wizarding family?" Dante asked, only half curious.

"No, I'm muggle born. My parents are dentists. They work on-"

"I know what they do," Dante interrupted with a chuckle. "I'm also muggle born. The last trace of magic died with my great grandmother, but apparently I was s'pose to join this world."

"I see. Well, I must get to bed. Classes start in the morning. Good night."

"Good night," Dante called as she heard the girl climb into her bed. "Don't go anywhere, I need a letter sent, please," she whispered to Bart.

Dante took out her notebook and pen and started to write a letter to her parents.

"You know, here we use parchment and quills right?" Hermione asked.

"I really didn't think we had to use them!" Dante exclaimed in amusement. She shared a silent moment with the girl before they both shrugged their shoulders and continued their doings.

In the letter Dante explained how she made a friend and how he was famous, the school, the people, and a few other things before folding it and handing it to Bartemus. The owl took off immediately, leaving his owner to dress for bed. As she closed her eyes, Dante thought of her classes before drifting off to sleep.

Morning came early for Dante. She grabbed her uniform and robes before visiting the bathroom. After showering and dressing she made her way to the common room where she spotted her new favorite twins. She watched them for a moment and found it fascinating how they moved together and seemed to think along the same lines.

"I smell it," she called out to them.

"Smell what?" they asked in unison as they turned quickly to face her.

"Mischief. I want in on it," she responded with a smile.

"My dear lady, step right this way. Do you remember me?"

"Yes, George," she said as she stood next to him.

"I'm Fred," he said frowning.

"He's Fred," she countered with a nod of her head in the other twin's direction.

"You're sure?" they asked.

"Quite."

"You're good," Fred said, looking at his brother.

"More than you know. What's the idea this morning?"

"We're starting small,"

"A simple tripping hex,"

"That will activate,"

"When brown haired students pass," Fred finished.

"Lovely!" Dante exclaimed.

The three pranksters laughed all the way down the staircases towards the Great Hall, images of the kids flailing about as they headed for the floor on their way towards the portrait exit flashed in their minds. They wanted to stay longer, but they were getting nasty looks from laughing so hard and decided it was best to leave the area.

"A great way to start the day gentlemen," Dante choked out through her chuckles.

"Gentlemen?"

"We knew we liked you for some reason," Fred finished.

"Hey! Wait up!"

The three turned to see Harry Potter making his way down the last staircase.

"Everyone is falling this morning, must be nervous for the classes," he said.

The three once again started laughing, explaining the hex to Harry as they sat at the table for breakfast. They all laughed as they ate, keeping their little secret from reaching other ears. Hermione sat down at the table, a look of annoyance and knowing on her face.

"Seems a lot of people are falling this morning," she started. The others just looked at her, perfect acts of confusion on their faces. "Yes, ridiculous isn't it? I was on my way to help someone up and I tripped to the floor myself."

"You should be careful, Hermione, you never know what can happen at Hogwarts," Fred piped up, looking serious.

"The castle itself is a prankster, we're merely just learning from the best," finished George.

Dante listened to everyone as they talked through full mouths. She felt eyes on her and turned in her seat to find the source of discomfort. Her eyes scanned the other tables until she saw a head of blond hair and a pair of icy grey eyes looking right at her. He gave her a smirk as if he knew something in which she replied with a mere wink and smile as she turned back to her friends. She caught Harry's eyes and he squinted in confusion but all she returned was a simple shrug and a small shake of her head, as if it was completely normal to look around in the middle of a conversation.

"…so if you need any help, you can ask us," Fred was saying.

"We're your boys," added George with a smile.

"No, you're my gentlemen," Dante said and laughed as they acted like proper men at a table, sipping from their spoons and goblets, sticking a pinky out in the air. It was clear breakfast was going to be a perfect time to get in a good mood for the rest of the day. The House heads passed the schedules out to the students right before the post flew through the windows. Dante was comparing with the twins as Bart landed in front of her. She smiled at him and pulled a treat from her pocket.

"You keep owl treats in your pocket?"

"You have owl post when you live in the states?"

"Of course I keep treats with me, Bartemus is spoiled! And no, I don't have owl post. Since my parents are back in Tennessee the Ministry said they would take mail from Bart and send it another way, a quicker way, and give instructions on how to a respond. The letter they write will go to the Ministry and then is given to Bart to deliver to me."

"Sounds complicated,"

"But I guess it works,"

"Yeah, at least the Ministry is working to keep you happy since you're so far from home," added Fred as he watched Bart. It was odd how the owl waited for permission to eat from Dante's plate, and they found it quite amusing that she talked to him as if he would talk back.

Dante only expected one letter, but found she had received three. Her thoughts were interrupted as everyone got up and made their way to class. Just as she was about to stuff her letters into her bag it was scooped off the bench followed by her mail being plucked from her grasp.

"Boys! Don't start!" she warned.

"Oh, now you've done it,"

"We're gentlemen remember?"

With that the chase began. The twins took off through the crowd, Dante close behind. Just as she reached to grab their robes they split and darted in different directions. Without missing a beat she took after Fred who was carrying her book bag. She grinned as she pulled out her wand and threw the tripping hex, skillfully missing others to hit Fred's feet. He yelped as he unexpectedly fell the ground. Everyone had stopped to watch the sight, laughing at the sight of the infamous jokester belly down.

"Oi!" George emerged from the crowd and stepped into the circle that had formed around Dante and Fred. "What do you think you're doing _young lady?_" he asked, playful sarcasm dripping off the last two words.

Dante picked up her bad from the floor and caught an admiring glance from Fred. She turned to George with a smile and said, "Just showing you're not the only who can trip up someone, that's all."

"Bloody brilliant, you're a quick learner. But what about these?" he asked, holding up her letters for everyone to see. "No trip can get these to you from way over there," he said with a triumphant look on his face.

"You're right, but you've got much to learn, little boy," she replied. Just as she winked at him the letters were picked from his fingers. Everyone gasped and stared with wide eyes.

Bart flew towards Dante with the letters in his beak. He perched on her shoulder and rubbed his head against her cheek after the letters were placed in his owner's bag. She looked up and saw shock-filled eyes locked on her before the hallway exploded with claps and whistles.

"Thanks, Bart, go on back," she whispered before giving him another treat and watched him fly off. "Hey! We gotta get to class!" she yelled at the crowded hallway.

It was as if the thought of being late for class scared them as they all shuffled quickly down different corridors. Harry grabbed Dante's robes and dragged her to class. Just as everyone else was thinking how amazing the American was, Harry was wondering what he had unwillingly gotten himself into. It was the first morning of a new life for both of them and they both were famous one way or another. Harry couldn't help but smile as he heard Dante humming a joyful-sounding melody beside him. He was sure glad he met her, but what else did she have tucked into those cowboy boots?


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: I think Chapter 3 was Chapter 1 for a while…so I redid it and I think Chapter 3 really is Chapter 3 now. I don't know what happened. I apologize if anyone noticed the mistake. **

Chapter 6

Everyone was relieved when the first weekend arrived. It had been eventful and surprising. Though half the first years were used to magic and knew what to expect, the workload seemed more than they had anticipated, never mind the muggle born kids who had no idea what was to happen inside the classrooms. The returning students were ready for the work and routine around the school, as were the teachers. It was time for the professors to watch out for new students, keep the students on task, prepare for many out of control magical accidents and remain calm through it all. No one, however, were ready for a student to make herself noticed so colorfully, and an American muggle born first year at that.

All week everyone had talked about the United States Gryffindor first year; teachers whispered to one another, kids talked about her during free time, and everyone watched her every move to see what she would do next. Dante didn't know the hall talk was about her, she was too busy making fun and helping people laugh. When asked about her quill she simply said, "I was told we used quills here. Well, I decided to put one of Bartemus' feathers on a pen I brought from home. Same difference as far as I'm concerned."

And then the weekend came, giving the students nice weather to run around outside and Dante a break from all her mischief. Hogwarts' new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Quirrel, gave Dante a headache; all his stutters were annoying along with his garlic smell…and she had called him out on it. He of course explained in his broken voice that a young witch would not understand all the horrible creatures out in the world. She continued to bug him about what he was so frightened of and eventually he caved. He had been attacked by a vampire on his travels and seemed quite upset after the tale. Dante didn't feel bad for him. She didn't understand how he had the position of Defense Professor since he was so jumpy and didn't like people being close.

"I may not understand everything you've been through, hell, I've just now gotten to know this world, but I would think a person appointed to teach this subject would be a little braver. So what if you're scared? _You're_ not s'pose to show it in front of us, you should instead be telling us it's scary, and that it's important to stay calm. Your tactics are as useful as a tit on a male boar hog," she finally finished her berating and left the room with her bag.

When she settled in his classroom a few days later she waited for everyone to be seated and for Quirrel to give them instructions. As everyone shuffled to get their books, Dante let out a shriek and withdrew a cross from her bag and threw it as if it caused her pain. Quirrel yelped and fled into his office, slamming the door behind him. Everyone was shocked from the sudden outburst but soon realized it was a joke. The room erupted with laughter. The State Girl, as some called her, bowed to her audience with a solemn face, picked up her bag, took the cross from the floor and walked out of the room.

Naturally the story spread through the school like fiendfyre. Not only were students and teachers discussing the ballsy act, the portraits and ghosts found the event quite rude, if not interesting. Two outbursts in one week would surely have the girl scrubbing toilets with a toothbrush the entire weekend. To the students' surprise no one could confirm a rumor of her serving detention. Was Quirrel really that scared of her to let her go unpunished for her outrageous actions?

Draco Malfoy was hardly hearing Crabbe and Goyle, he was focused on the girl sitting between the Weasley twins. They practically worshipped her, who wouldn't? She had called Quirrel out, practically called him a tit, and effectively got to his head. That's not all; it seemed any time someone was bullied, the bully was soon suffering his own actions by some means. No doubt in Draco's mind that it had been the American. He hadn't gotten a reply to the letter he sent her earlier in the week.

The girl got up and said something to the boys, leaving them to stare out at her. She headed towards the lake and pulled a letter from her bag to inspect. Draco realized she hadn't even read his letter yet. A wave of relief washed over him; he thought she was ignoring him. He quickly stopped his thoughts to wonder why he cared if she replied or not. A black owl with a white face flew down to perch on Dante's shoulder. He smiled, telling himself there was just something about the foreigner, a way about her that made him want to know her better.

Down by the lake the popular American sat beneath a white oak making Bart fly around to find a limb to perch. She momentarily wondered if it was a magical white oak before turning her attention to her letters. The first was from her parents, telling they were glad the first impression was a good one, how excited they were to hear about her friend Harry Potter, but also concerned of why he was famous, and lastly that they missed her. A few tears fell as she took out her faux quill and notebook to write her parents again. She wrote about her twin friends and a few others she got along with. She briefly explained her classes, bypassing the daily (in some cases, nightly) pranks and insulting a teacher. She said she couldn't wait to see them over Christmas break and went on to tell of her Transfiguration class, which was her favorite.

A few minutes later she folded up her letter and set it aside before picking up her second unread letter. It was from her Transfiguration teacher explaining to Dante she would gladly help her settle in the new surroundings. "_Being in a foreign country with no one with you can become a shock. If you need any help, do not hesitate to ask,_" it said. She smiled at how nice her House head was and laid it aside as well before finally reaching the last letter. It was a short note: "_Browning, be by the lake, under the white oak, at midnight this Saturday_."

The girl frowned as she searched for a name, but only saw her own. Though the note was strange, she couldn't help but feel a bubble of excitement of the mystery. She pulled a book from her bag and began reading about various stones, their uses, where they were found and other facts she thought interesting. If it hadn't been for this book, she wouldn't have been able to answer most of Snape's questions. The Potions Master had been surprised at the young muggle born's intelligence, even more so than the bookworm Hermione Granger. He favored the Tennessee girl, in his own way, and Dante was sure it was because she had a similar attitude to him.

Dante realized the laughter by the lake had subsided. She looked up and knew the students had retreated to the Great Hall for dinner. She had read for quite a few hours as she made notes in her notebook. She threw everything in her bad after handing the letter to her parents over to Bart and watched him fly away.

There was a buzz about the Great Hall as Dante made her way to her friends. It was strange for the hall to be full of frightened yet excited students as whispers soared from one ear to another. Dante looked over and saw even the Slytherins were in a state of…well, not sneering for once.

"Why's everyone on edge, or rather, excited and scared at the same time?" she asked as she sat next to Harry, who immediately filled a goblet for her and tossed her a roll.

"Gringotts was broken into," Ron said.

"The bank? That happens all the time," Dante said as she piled food onto her plate.

"Not here, in the wizarding world, and definitely not a goblin bank," Hermione said in a whispered voice.

"In my experience, and some of Harry's, anything is possible, whether you try over and over, or because it's s'pose to happen," Dante countered in a calm voice, ending that discussion and turned to her favorite twins. "Boys, we have a half problem." At this the twins' eyes went wide but quickly looked nonchalant.

"Whatever do you mean, Captain?"

She knew they immediately thought of their latest trick and were worried they had been caught. Who knew invisible goop could be so fun?

"There will be a banquet soon for Halloween. We haven't planned anything yet."

"Oh, you're right,"

"But all the professors will be here," Fred inquired.

"Yes, but not in the corridors…"

"Perfect time to plan some pranks on the other houses!" George whispered excitedly.

"As they say on Halloween-"

"Trick or treat!" the twins finished for Dante.

After nearly everyone had left for their beds, Harry was confronted by Dante who asked him if he knew the punishment for being caught out after curfew. He said he was unsure before she shrugged with her thanks and headed out of the common room. The girl headed to the lake, deciding since she surely wouldn't be expelled, she could handle what was thrown at her. Even if the mystery man or woman didn't show, Dante thought as she looked across the lake, it was a nice night to be out.

She was sure there was a soft hum under the water as she took a seat where the grass thinned and met the sand of the lake's bank. Lights moved over the water like fireflies, but after a closer look Dante realized the lights were _under_ the water. She didn't have time to enjoy the discovery, a light thud made her jump up and twirl around quickly, drawing her wand out to point at whoever, or whatever, was there. The cloaked figure took a step back from the girl, but made no sound or move to pull a wand out. Dante's curiosity doubled as she walked closer. She was about to ask if the letter had been from the visitor, but before she could open her mouth the cloak turned and ran away. She just stood there and watched, almost disappointed, but mostly even more curious about the strange encounter.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: I'm trying to decide if I want to up my average 1500-1700 words per chapter to something like 1900-2100 words. If anyone has anything to say then I would love to hear it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

Harry was talking to an older Gryffindor boy the next morning when Dante sat down beside the obviously excited boy.

"Yeah, right, great, thanks!" Harry stumbled in his words.

"No, not yet, see you at practice," the boy said before finally looking at Dante. "You're the American, huh?"

Dante loved his accent and told him so as she confirmed she was indeed "the American."

"Olliver Wood, Quidditch captain for Gryffindor," he said with a warm smile.

"Dante Browning, mischievous country girl from Tennessee," she replied with a wink.

Wood smiled even brighter and Dante decided she liked it. He excused himself and went to sit down the table with other students. Harry explained, as he handed Dante toast, he was trying out for the team. He was caught flying when he wasn't supposed to, but instead of being punished he was rewarded. Dante congratulated him enthusiastically. She remembered McGonagall had asked her to meet in her office during the flying lesson but had fled from the room quickly.

_Must have been Harry who interrupted the meeting_, Dante thought as she listened to her friend.

"I don't know much 'bout the sport, but from what I hear it's popular like baseball or college ball," Dante said with a full mouth.

Her and Harry mumbled sentences as they ate and finally the morning started off like usual when the twins joined them. Soon after Dante's laughter could be distinctly heard, Hermione and Ron were trying to keep from spewing their breakfast from hilarity of the stories being told. The laughter was carried all through the hall and over to the Slytherin table, making a blonde boy look over to the source.

He couldn't help how he watched her every move. She was sneaky as a Slytherin, but for some reason she was tossed into the rival house. He was still watching her as she paused in her attention towards Potter and searched the room before locking her eyes on his. Malfoy gave his smirk and looked away after catching a wink from the girl.

"It's so nice out," Dante said softly.

"A bit of a chill, but yes, I agree," Harry replied next to her.

"I wonder what it's like back home," she said absent-mindedly.

The two were outside in the warm sun, lying on the grass and watching clouds float by. They oth were finished with their school work from the week; Hermione was helping Ron in the common room. Random footsteps made their way by the two friends, light conversation occasionally reaching their ears, leaving them to finish the sentences as they wished. Harry was laughing as Dante's ending to a phrase they had heard when he noticed a bee swarming above them. He quickly went still and watched with wide eyes. Dante, seeing his reaction, said "Go away, bee!" in a silly voice, much like one of a certain squid's voice on a cartoon. Harry smiled as a chuckle escaped his lips.

"Seriously, leave. Besides, you need to go hibernate. But before you do that, go terrorize Malfoy," she said between laughing at how Harry was crying from his own strained laughing fit.

The bee stopped swarming and floated about Dante for a second before zooming off. She looked over at Harry, puzzled at the reaction the bee seemed to have at her words. Just as Harry was about to say something they both shot up at the sound of screaming. They watched Malfoy run across the grounds, flailing his arms around him like crazy, and screaming about a bee. Dante turned to look at Harry, his wide eyes reflecting her as they said, "Whoa."

Not long after the eerie bee conundrum Dante was walking towards the common room after Harry was whisked away by Wood, who smiled at her before walking away. She was whistling "Hakuna Matata" from "The Lion King" when she nearly ran into the headmaster.

"Sir! I'm sorry!" she said, surprised.

"Quite alright, dear. Oh, Miss Browning, how are you this evening?" Dumbledore asked.

"Puzzled at the moment to be honest, sir," she replied looking up at him. He was wearing shimmering red robes over she guessed slacks and polo tee, but she decided to not think too much. His beard was long and white, reminding Dante of some clouds she had just seen.

"Why is that?" he asked and started walking again.

"Do magic folk talk to animals?" she questioned, following a step beside the tall headmaster.

"Some wizards and witches can influence certain creatures I suppose, but actually talk to them, I am unsure. Did you see someone talk to an animal?"

"Is a bee an animal?"

"I guess to some extent."

"Well, I accidently sent a bee on Malfoy. I have to admit, it was really funny."

"I imagine it was quite a sight. Have you ever done such things before?"

Dante thought about telling Mufasa to get her dad, telling the snake to back away, and maybe she had told Kibbles to take her back home after falling in the freezing lake. She relayed her thoughts, meeting a pair of half-moon spectacles across from her. Somehow she had followed the headmaster to his office without realizing it. She looked about the room and took in the odd décor. Behind the desk hung several portraits of men and women, some old, others not so aged, all sleeping at various volumes. A few shelves lined the walls on either side of the desk piled with odd gadgets and shiny objects. A thought of a raccoon hitting the jackpot came to mind for a second before continuing her eye's tour. To the right of the door sat a corner cabinet with several books lined, seemingly taunting the girl. What caught her eye though, besides the number of obviously powerful scripts, was the set of marble doors in the center of the shelf, enclosing something deeply important.

Just as her mind starting rushing in anticipation and need to open the doors a sweet, soft melody reached her ears and penetrated her devious thoughts. Dante whirled around and caught sight for the first time a bright red, orange, and yellow bird. How she could have missed the gorgeous animal she didn't know, but she smiled as she realized the creature was helping her not look like such a fool.

"This is Fawkes. He's a phoenix," Dumbledore said easily, as if his student had not stared at his private possession's hiding place so eagerly.

"You mean those really exist? Hot damn!" the girl exclaimed, immediately throwing her hand to her mouth. "Forgive my language," she added quietly.

"You are forgiven, Miss Browning," he said through a soft chuckle.

"Please, Sir, call me Dante or Dantelesca. The latter is used by my mother when she's mad though."

"Very well, Dante, how do you like Hogwarts?"

The American girl talked with the British headmaster for hours before she realized she was hungry. The conversation ranged from classes to experiments, from jobs to tales before a growl in her stomach made her look up to find a smiling old man.

"Dinner time. Go, have a good evening. I shall see you another time," Dumbledore said, dismissing her.

"Thank you, Sir, for the tea and the chat," she replied, making her way to the door. She spared a frown towards the cabinet sitting in the corner before slipping out and stepping onto the rotating staircase.

Once her boots hit the stone floor she heard whispering to her right, angry whispers, if her ears served her correctly. She slowly made her way closer, but realizing there was no cover, she decided for a more direct method. Snape snapped his head up in surprise, quickly moving a step back from whom he was whispering with. Quirrel was backed against the hallway, looking quite scared, but that was nothing new. Dante looked back at Snape, winked and kept walking past them, whistling the 1960's theme song to Batman.

When she rounded the corner, Peeves made his way through the wall rather quickly beside Dante, dousing her with a freezing cold sensation.

"Peeves! What's your rush? Someone out to get ya?" she asked sarcastically, a little miffed, and shivering slightly. She forced the aftershock from her body and noticed the ghost looked a little on edge. "Hey, you look a little lost, care to share where you came from?"

"Oh, oh, oh! Can't tell _you_, you're a _student_!" he replied with his annoying, joyful voice, obviously no longer worried about whatever he had just seen.

Dante crossed her arms over her chest. She looked around and smirked at the opportunity of an empty hall before slyly saying, "Peeves, I'm not really a student, I'm more of a tourist. Don't you like to keep guests happy?"

"Maybe…sometimes…." The ghost said slowly, thinking over the suggestion.

"Well, we have a lot in common. I think you should tell me what's up. Maybe I can help," she said softly, seeing her magic work without her wand. She could see him bouncing, full of gossip; information she wanted.

"Such a beastly should be friends with Nicky! Oh! No, no, no. No more for _you_," he said quickly before floating away cackling his head…well, laughing madly as usual.

She stared after the crazy ghost in confusion, deciding she would have been better off leaving the stupid prankster alone. Off in the distance she heard some faint chimes and remembered she was on her way to the Great Hall for dinner. Dante was ready to see her friends and find out why Harry left with Wood earlier in the day because, you know, that's what normal children did; they talked about their days and shared stories and had a good time, even if they were in a _magical_ school.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: This chapter is nearly twice as long as the others. I hope it doesn't bore any readers. Enjoy!**

Chapter 8

It was finally Halloween. Dante, Fred, and George had been planning their pranks for weeks. Dante got around that Saturday morning and made a list of things she had to do; it was always easier to get things done when she put everything out in front of her. The trick was remembering where she put the list once it was made. When she finished writing her chores in her notebook she stuck her pen-quill into her mouth and relaxed to look at her short phrases. The common room was empty, everyone was still asleep from the late night Dante made all the Gryffindors participate in. At last minute she thought to put a scavenger hunt together.

She smiled at the memories from the night while she sat by the window. Spotting Bart, no doubt looking for her, she opened the window and called the owl over, which perched behind her. The first thing on her list was to write her parents. Taking a few minutes to include her little family back in the states on the recent events, she absently thought along the lines of how her parents would react if they knew everything she was up to, being careful to leave her thoughts off the paper. She signed the bottom and folded the paper to give to Bart, telling him to be careful.

Glancing down at her list she saw "check potions" and smirked. At the beginning of the month Snape and McGonagall both put her in advanced classes, which really was only double because she couldn't skip basic classes, being a first year. Since the added classes overlapped her usual schedule she only had to attend half the class and was expected to finish the homework within time, but was told if she was to be a day late it would be acceptable with no point docked. No one knew how lenient the Potions Master was and she was sure he didn't care for anyone to know. She was sure he wouldn't like anyone to know how much he was fond of her either, even if it was in his own way.

She decided she would go to the restroom later to check her potions. Having advanced classes had its perks for Dante. She was always reading and had become fascinated with the theory a person could become an animal due to a complex potion. Coincidence that her favorite subject was Transfiguration and Potions were like a second language? Perhaps, but Dante didn't play with her life, only played in it.

Another look at her list told her she needed Harry. She barely registered the fact it was against the rules for girls to be in the boys' rooms, and vice versa, but she was sure since she had yet to do anything really bad, and decided she didn't care. Looking in Harry's shared bedroom, it was clear the rooms were basically the same throughout the tower, except maybe the level of cleanliness. She tiptoed to the center of the room, pulled her wand from her boot, murmured a few words and a loud bang was heard. All the boys found the floor real quick, fighting their bed curtains and blankets all the way down. She busted out laughing at the sight of the sleepy-looking boys trying to gain control of their breathing.

"Dante!" the all yelled, clearly flustered their snooze was interrupted, by that particular girl no less.

"Morning boys! You all can go back to bed, I just need to borrow Harry," she replied giggling. She left the grumbling boys to find their beds again. After locating his glasses, Harry found some jeans and shirt and grabbed his wand on his way to the common room.

Harry was soon in a good mood as he was led to the white oak that stood by the lake, noticing it still had a fair amount of leaves around the trunk. He watched the girl gather all the leaves and crawl up to a branch to jump down into the giant leaf pile. She resurfaced laughing, saying it was his turn. They took turns jumping from the high branch until the leaves were no longer usable, breathing hard from the laughter and climbing.

"I've never done that before," Harry said through haggard breaths.

"You're shittin' me!" Dante exclaimed, looking over to his face.

"No, I've never had a lot of fun. My cousin always made sure of that," Harry responded a bit gloomily.

"That won't happen again. Hey! I need to tell you some stuff!" Harry forgot to ask what she meant after she told him about Peeves, her classes, her potions she was interested in, her talk with Dumbledore, and what she planned on doing after the feast.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"You've been busy with that Olliver Wood, we've both been bucklin' down on homework, and I've been busy wreaking havoc!" she finished with a play-evil smile.

Harry stood at the edge of the water, his bare feet sinking into the sand. So, Dante could influence animals and never knew it; similar to the boa incident at the zoo. Somewhere in the castle there was something scaring Peeves, which didn't affect his feelings for the pestering ghost, but it was quite curious to him. He smiled at the thought of Dante throwing ingredients into a cauldron and making something drastic, but then he realized if it wasn't for her uncanny ability to understand various concoctions he would be failing his potions class.

He looked sideways at Dante. She was feeling her collarbone, where her scar was. He had noticed it the first night they stayed up together in the common room. Anytime she didn't need her uniform she was wearing jeans and a tank top. Of course, after nine o'clock she preferred pajamas. That night she was wearing a yellow top and black shorts, relaxed in what he thought an odd angle of the couch, half facing the fire before them. It took until an hour later before he realized there was a strange mark on her collarbone; he could see the shadow from the scar as the fire cast light upon her form. She said she wasn't sure how the scar appeared but knew it was from a very young age.

"_Does it hurt_?" he asked before thinking.

"_Sometimes. Odd times too_," she replied simply, frowning at the thought.

He snapped from his thoughts and watched her drop her hand to her side before glancing at his own scar and ask, "does yours hurt?" when she met his eyes. He blinked at the random question, finding it odd she had the same line of thought as he did; she had obviously been thinking of that night as well. He looked over at the castle before answering.

"Yeah. I thought Quirrel's garlic was giving me a headache, but I realized the other day it's when I look at him. It hurts bad, like worse than a migraine."

They stood in silence for a minute. The giant squid was emerging from the lakes surface in front of them; its tentacles moving about freely.

"Enjoying the weather before winter" she yelled out to it. To Harry and Dante's surprise, it nodded its head once. "You know what I'm saying!" Again it nodded, its eyes almost smiling. Two tentacles waved to the friends before descending back into the weather fully again. They stood there, feeling their feet being tickled by the small ripples the squid left. Harry smiled at Dante as he heard, "I wonder if one day I can hear them…" as she spoke her thoughts aloud.

"What is it you said? 'Anything is possible.' I think it's quite possible," he replied.

The two students, one American and the other British, spent the rest of the day catching up with gossip and Harry's practices. It was an honor for Harry to play Quidditch; first years weren't allowed, but he had natural skill and Gryffindor House Head, McGonagall, bought him his first broom. Harry was getting more and more excited when he told Dante about flying. She listened to every word her friend said. All the times she defended him, even when she had hardly known him, it was as if Harry was her responsibility and she didn't tolerate any nonsense. A few times when Slytherin students were making fun of him, Dante had showed up and caused quite the scene, sending the rival house on their way rather quickly.

Somehow she knew when Harry needed her and even more so, she found him without searching. Dante told Harry she had always been like that at her place in Tennessee; she knew when to help her dad; of if a horse was gone, she knew where it was. Harry told his friend, grasping her hand, he was glad she was around.

The Halloween Feast was amazing. Jack-o-lanterns of various sized floated around the room, more ghosts than usual were making rounds to the tables, the ceiling was dark and eerie above the students, and of course Peeves went around throwing treats at the younger students, rather harshly.

Draco Malfoy hadn't been feeling well, but he didn't want to miss the chance to see his American crush. He loved how she winked at him. He saw her walk in, walking confidently down between the tables, and suddenly realized he didn't feel sick anymore. He thought on it for a while and came to the conclusion the good was making him feel better; he had hardly eaten any food lately. He watched the girl laugh and joke with the other Gryffindors, handing out high fives and treats as she made her way towards her usual seat next to Harry Potter.

Harry Potter. Draco's stomach fell a bit; he didn't feel hungry anymore. He ignored his friends and got up to leave the dinner. As he walked aimlessly through the halls he couldn't shake the feeling that he was going to be in Potter's shadow during their years at Hogwarts. A cool breeze met his face, looking up he realized he had ventured outside. The white oak welcomed the late night wanderer to sit. He smiled slightly as he thought of trying to meet Dante here only a week into school. It seemed like ages to the young boy. He sat there in front of the lake, listening to the underwater humming as he thought about home, and how he would cope after leaving school for the summer.

Someone was yelling. Dante stood and turned to listen, a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Troll! A troll in the dungeon! I thought you ought to know," the pathetic Defense teacher said before crumpling to the floor. And then there was pause….

Chaos ensued. Dante looked at her first mates, Fred and George, to see if it was a prank. The horrific look on their faces told her it was legit. Students started to rise, yelling in fear and panic, all trying to be the first to leave. Dante kept Harry firmly in his seat with her had on his shoulder. She was about to tell him not to worry when-

"Silence!" echoed through the dining hall, causing everyone to freeze. Dumbledore was standing, giving instructions to everyone when the country girl looked down to her friend.

"Harry, go with them," she turned to the twins, "boys, I'm going to sneak and disarm the pranks, this is hardly the time."

"Also hardly the time to be on your own!" Harry cut in. "I'm going with you, no excuses," he added with a firm look at her.

"Fine, boys, cover for us," she said hurriedly before grabbing Harry's hand and pulling him away from the crowd.

A mad dash through the halls from one House entrance to another and the two were finally leaving the site of the last almost-fun Halloween prank when they heard shuffling of feet.

"Quick! In here!" Harry ushered his friend into a room.

"What are you two doing in here?" asked a surprised voice, causing them to turn and see Ron.

"Long story short-we're hiding from the group of people who are passing right now."

"You?" Harry asked the redhead.

"Looking for Hermione."

"Coast is clear," Dante observed.

A blood-curdling scream cut off the ensuing conversation between the three students. They all rushed from their hiding spot.

"There!"

"Ron, go find a professor! Now!" Dante yelled over her shoulder as she ran towards the scream.

Harry was chasing after her and nearly ran into her when she stopped short upon opening a door. A giant, ugly beast was looking at a cowering young girl. Dante caught Hermione's eye and put her index finger over her lips in a shushing gesture. The scared girl nodded. Before she knew what she was doing, Dante found herself on top of the trolls shoulder, yelling loudly for distraction and telling Hermione to get out.

Harry watched as the troll thrashed angrily, trying his best to get his attacker off his shoulders. The large club he was swinging nearly missed his friend too many times.

"Get the club before-" Dante was cut off. A massive hand grabbed her robes and flung her into the air to a swinging motion in front of a stupid-looking face. "Your breath stinks!" she said without thinking. "Harry, his club!" she exclaimed as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

The troll started swinging madly, whether because of the hygiene insult or because he was grumpy, Harry wasn't sure.

"Charms!" Hermione cried out, surprising Harry.

"At the same time. One, two, three- Wingardium Leviosa!"

The club slipped out of the troll's hand and floated above his head. The two were so happy the idea worked that they forgot to move the club away, causing the spell to cancel out. The huge trunk-like club fell down and knocked the ugly thing out. To Hermione's horror and Harry's surprise, Dante fell from the brute's grasp and gracefully flipped from a back hand spring to her feet.

"Get ya some!" she laughed at the unconscious troll.

Teachers arrived just as Dante was making her way over the pile of troll stench to stand with the two other students. Ron came around from behind the faculty, flushed from all the running. After the kids were scolded the four set to their common room. The damsel-no-longer-in-distress explained she had gotten sick and visited the bathroom and knew nothing of the threat. The three exchanged excited point of views while Dante followed the group, lost in her thoughts.

As soon as everyone was asleep, Dante quietly escaped to the ground. The hallways had been uncannily deserted but the girl wasn't complaining. She made her way towards the lake to find her seat was already occupied.

"What are you doing out here so late?" she asked the blond boy, making him jump.

He turned to look at the intruder and felt his heart skip a beat. He had no idea why, but the American muggle born always gave him mixed feelings.

"I should ask you the same thing."

"I asked first."

"I wasn't hungry and got bored."

"So you weren't in the castle when it happened?"

"What are you going on about?"

Dante sat beside Draco and told him about the events, leaving out the part about disarming her and the twins' pranks.

"You two are always together. You and Potter."

"Yeah, he's my main man," Dante replied. Seeing Draco's confused look she explained further. "You know, my best friend, the guy I put first. Nothing lovey, just my…well, main man."

"I see. Odd. Americans I suppose."

"No, no. You can call me odd, but I don't want you to think all Americans are odd. Just me," she added with a laugh.

A few minutes passed; the two of them listening to the peaceful hum from the lake and wandering in their own thoughts.

"Draco, why _are_ you out here?"

"I told you. I wasn't hungry so I left, but then I was bored so I came out here."

"Oh, right," she said as if she had forgotten.

Dante knew there was a different reason, but she decided to leave the boy alone about it. They both yawned and decided to head back to the castle. It wasn't until they were close to the huge double doors did they realize they were locked out. Dante let out an aggravated sigh.

"Great. How'm I s'pose to explain this one?" she asked out loud, not really looking for an answer.

"This way," Draco said.

"Huh?"

"This way," he repeated. "There's a secret door near my common room,"

"Nice," Dante approved as she followed the Slytherin around to the side. They walked in silence and stopped at the side of the stone wall. Dante looked over to Draco. "I believe you're wrong."

"Never," he said with his usual smirk and grabbed Dante's robes. He pulled her into the wall, stepping into a low-lit hallway. As soon as she entered Draco placed his hand over her mouth. "Shh," he whispered. "You better get back. Don't tell anyone about this secret doorway. Promise?"

"Country girl's honor," she whispered back with a smile as she removed his hand.

As she walked away she called goodnight with a wink. Draco smiled before he made his way to his common room. He was ready to lay in his bed and dream of a blond haired girl with a strange accent. Dante's trip to her room was detoured when she remembered to check her brewing potions in the abandoned toilet room.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was another weekend. Dante was sitting in her usual seat in the common room with Harry across from her, working intently on his potion essay Snape had assigned them. The country girl had already finished all of her homework except her advanced potion essay, but knew she would get it finished without hurry. She was taking a break from all the writing and relaxed further into her chair; allowing visions of the past few weeks to flash in her head.

Every other night Draco would meet her under the white oak and visit for hours. Once they became too tired to talk they would walk through the secret entrance together. He told her a lot about his home and his family. She remembered feeling sorry for the boy when he explained his father was cold-hearted and his mother could rarely show any affection towards her only son. Any time he talked about a sensitive subject she would tell him a funny story to cheer him up, never wanting him to fall asleep in a bad mood.

Then there were the many harmless pranks she pulled with the aid of the Weasley twins. Their proudest yet was the invisible goop and they still used it often. At times she needed a laugh to keep her heavy workload off her mind. She kept all of her grades up and wrote to her parents regularly. It was strange how her being gone from home brought them closer as a family, but she was thankful.

She cheered for Harry during Quidditch matches and helped him with his homework so he could continue all his practices, which she often attended against Wood's will. Harry pointed out how Olliver, _his team captain_ she could hear his non approval voice in her head, would always come up to him when Dante was with him. Her response was a wink but quickly informed him she never egged on the half-smitten captain. The thought brought a smile to the relaxed girl's face.

Her potions had brewed successfully, but kept that to herself. She did however tell her best friend about a three-headed dog she found. The two of them later investigated further, but were cut short when they realized "Poochy" was not nice. Though, they did notice an interesting-looking trapdoor before scurrying back to safety.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, I was just thinking of how Quirrel is hesitant around me," she replied with her eyes still closed.

"Yes, well, convincing him you may have some vampire traits certainly was your fault," he informed her with a laugh.

"Worth it though," was her murmured reply.

"Agreed," she could see him nod without looking. "All finished. Thank you for all the help," he added as he packed his stuff.

"No problem at all. How about a walk? I only have one essay to write and I can do it later."

"Sounds good. My ass is numb anyway."

Dante laughed at his American-like pronunciation before saying, "we do spend too much time together! We're mixing our accents!" He chuckled with her as they walked out of the common room and made their way around the moving staircases. All the portraits greeted the two as they passed and random ghosts they encountered nodded in acknowledgement.

"It seems everyone likes you."

"Well, I like to know I have many alliances. As long as any pranks I pull cause no harm, they won't nark. Some even give me tidbits of information."

"I for one am glad you're here. Older students say that Hogwarts hasn't been this calm and fun for years! You're like medicine."

Dante smiled at the memory of Draco telling her she was like a medicine. It was too chilly to go outside so the two wandered aimlessly around the halls, hardly meeting any students or faculty. They were caught up in swapping stories they didn't realize it was after hours.

"Mister Potter, Miss Browning, I believe it is past curfew," came a voice behind them, causing them both to jump in surprise and turn to Dumbledore.

"Sorry, Sir. We didn't notice the time…."

"No harm done," he said smiling.

Dante noticed a shiny mirror behind the headmaster, standing inside the room he had left. Her old fascination of sparkly objects resurfaced and made her mouth ask, "What's that?" before she could think clearly. She did however see the smile on his face leave his eyes, but he stepped aside so the two could have a look. He led them inside and explained it was called the Mirror of Erisad.

"Are…are those my…parents?" Harry asked no one as he neared the reflection.

Dante stepped forward quickly as the headmaster told them it shows the deepest desires of those who look into it. She looked for a nonexistent couple that Harry saw; she only saw Harry's reflection. She hardly registered Harry had asked her what she saw, making him take her silence as a bad sign.

"You don't have to say. I'm sorry."

"Forget it. No big. Listen, we should get back, Slick. We've caused our headmaster enough headache," she said with a smile.

"Quite alright, but yes, you must get back before Mr. Filch finds you two," he replied.

"Later!" Dante called over her shoulder, already had grabbed Harry and was pulling him into the hallway. She let him think about the mirror while she watched for Filch and his damn cat, but she had a feeling no one would catch them this particular night. They walked through the portrait to find a large group of laughing students. A yell form the floor followed by more giggles told the two that the twins were doing something. A piercing screech bounced off the Gryffindors' walls, causing Dante to run into the circle in worry and confusion.

"Bart!"

"Bart?"

"Dante!"

"Boys," Dante said half confused, half angry.

"We just thought we'd-"

"Get your mail," Fred finished.

"At first it was funny-"

"Quite the sense of humor that bird has-"

"Until you pissed him off, look, he's about to do some damage!" Dante cut across, pointing to Bartemus. "Come here, Bart, I've got a treat," she added as she held out her arm to her favorite owl.

The black owl looked at the twins and laid his feathers back to their proper place before hopping up to his mater's arm. He took the treat, took off out the window, and threw a warning screech as he flew away. Dante heard the uncomfortable mumbles around her as she read the note. It was from Draco saying he couldn't make it for their usual meeting. She tossed the letter into the fire and turned to the twins. They watched her uneasily, glancing around the room for anyone's help. She placed her hand on her hips and stood with her right foot slightly relaxed which caused everyone to take a step back. George and Fred audibly gulped in unison.

"Hope you learned your lesson."

"Most definitely."

"You gotta make it up."

"Terms?"

"Tonight you two have to venture into the Forbidden Forest and bring something back for me."

"What?" Fred asked in a surprised tone.

"It's Forbidden!" George casually punned.

"Duh, we don't go that far," Fred added like it was common sense.

"Well, I do. Or would you rather have Bart come back and let me unleash his angry owl kung-fu on you?"

Every student in the common room watched from every possible angle as the twins looked at each other, silently talking with their eyes. No one dared to make a noise, not wanting to miss a word. It would have been comical if it hadn't been for the look in Dante's eyes. She was purposefully putting them in the limelight, knowing too many people would witness this for them to back down.

"You're on!" they challenged her.

"Excellent."

Fred and George made their way out of the castle with no trouble. However, as they neared the edge of the forest, they began to have trouble walking. No doubt about it, they were scared, never had the two ever been so close to the trees. They preferred to keep the castle their territory. One reason they were doing this was because they didn't want their fearless fellow prankster to think they were scared. Another was the fact that every Gryffindor had watched the dare take place; no way were they backing down from a show.

Into the trees they went, in search of a stone Dante had told them to get. She had shown them a picture and read to them from the passage where they were normally found. They had thought it was strange she had a book all about rocks, but she said she knew many rocks and minerals in the states and figured she should learn magic properties of "normal" stones.

_"More like a hobby I guess," _she told them.

"_Bloody boring."_

"_No, unique. I bet this stuff will come in handy one day"_

"_Yeah, George, put that in your pipe and smoke it,"_ Dante laughed.

"_Insult?"_

_ "I believe so, Fred"_

_ "Never mind just go before it gets too early," _she ordered.

It was getting darker, thicker, and harder to walk through the trees. They had heard a lot of strange noises but swallowed their fear every time, determined to get the stone Dante wanted.

"Psst, Fred, here."

"Is that the right plant?" Fred whispered back.

"Yeah, come one, help me dig."

He knew before she snuck out that she wanted to venture into the Forbidden Forest as well. If she hadn't been in there before, he was shocked, but since the twins were in there, he had a feeling she would follow. He didn't know how sneaky he was being compared to his friend he was creeping behind, but since she hadn't looked back he took it as a sign he was doing well. Ever since she asked him about the punishment when caught out after hours, Harry knew Dante was absent from her room for hours during the night. This was the perfect opportunity to follow her, he knew she wouldn't resist going into the Forbidden Forest this night, not with Fred and George in there. It was possible she was going to pull a fast one on the twins, but he never really could make up his mind when it came to the country girl.

He walked through the trees with his wand lighting the way and his mind wandering about his scar. An odd place to think about such things? Maybe, but the night was quiet and it was easy to slip into his mind and think clearly, not feeling any fear in the dark as he was told to. His scar had started to throb more often, not only when he was around the stuttering professor. He had walked deep into the forest when he stopped to gather his scattered thoughts. That's when he saw a small movement ahead of him. He crept a little closer and saw a cloaked figure crouched over a snow-white unicorn. The beautiful creature was dead, its blood being consumed by the dark figure. Harry took a step back and felt a twig break under his heel. The snap echoed through the silence of the dark forest. The boy froze as the hood of the cloak snapped up and turned to him. Silver liquid dripped down from the hissing mouth. Before Harry knew it, the dark figure was flying towards him, but he still couldn't move.

At the last second a dark bird flew down and distracted the attacker. Harry took off running in the other direction, praying he was going towards the castle. Above his head he heard a soft screech as the black bird flew over him and led him out. The bird was long gone but he could see the reflection of the moon off the lake beyond the trees.

"Harry!"

"Dante!" he replied, huffing into her hair when she caught him in her arms.

"What the hell is goin' on? Why were you in there? Are you hurt?"

"I saw you go in so I did too. I figured you were trying to dupe the twins," he finally answered after catching his breath. "I'm not hurt, but I have to tell you what happened!"

With that he launched into the story of what he saw in the forest. She walked him back to the castle as he spoke and finally got a word in to tell him he needed to rest.

"Where are you going?" he asked as she turned away.

"I'm going to make sure Fred and George come out alright. Don't worry 'bout me. I'll see you in the morning," she replied and left the concerned friend to walk to the common room alone. She knew he was worried about her safety, but she was more concerned for the twins' considering they hadn't made it out yet. Simply enough, she would just sit out and watch for them; there was nothing else for her to do at such an hour anyway.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The night seemed to be never-ending for Dantelesca Browning. It had started out simple enough; homework, a walk around the school with her best friend, and the usual run-in with the Weasely Twins. Then there was the trip in the Forbidden Forest, escorting Harry back to the castle, and finding a place to watch for the twins. Her feet casually led her towards the lake as she walked away from Harry. She pulled her hood up over her head, zipped up her jacket and shoved her hands in her pockets; the night air was colder than she originally thought. She sat down and rested her head against the white oak, listening to the soft hum and watching the faint lights dance beneath the lake's surface as she relaxed in "her spot."

"Full moon tonight," came a familiar voice.

"I thought you couldn't make it," she commented as she smiled up at Draco.

"Well, I knew you would be out here," he replied as he sat beside her.

"What is it?" she asked when he did a double-take at her.

"I've never noticed the scars on your face…" he said, sounding a little sheepish.

"Oh, they hardly ever show…must be the moonlight. Um, well, last year I was hunting and I got peppered by a shotgun blast."

"Hunting? What would you possibly _hunt_?" he asked in a doubtful tone.

"Turkeys. I love hunting. Even after the accident I returned to the woods and bagged one."

"You're speaking American gibberish. What is a shotgun and how did you get pepper on you in the woods?"

She laughed at his questions, but more so at the look on his face; he was utterly confused and completely, seriously curious. "A shotgun in a muggle contraption. It's like a wand, but much bigger and heavier and instead of magic, complicated engineering causes the blast to shoot from the tip. And it wasn't pepper we eat with. Imagine many small pebbles being thrown at you as fast as you can fly on your broom. On impact the pellets lodged into my skin. My face, neck, chest, and even my skull had to be looked at so the doctor could get them out. It wasn't so bad, I had a hankerin' for chocolate though, the _whole_ time I was recovering."

He listened with an open face; grimacing, grinning, and looking fascinated at various parts of the story. Then he said, "Oh, well, that's the magic in you. Everyone with magic crave chocolate when healing."

They sat there a moment in silence, watching the lights together like they did every other night.

"Can I see? Your neck I mean," he added quickly.

She thought it over in her head. All the nights they met, Draco never really showed too much interest in anything. They would chat and laugh but he had yet to ask her a personal question. It wasn't even that personal.

"Sure," she finally answered, pulling her jacket and sweater away from her neck, exposing multiple tiny dots to shine in the moonlit night. She watched as his eyes darted from scar to scar and then slightly frown. "I know, gross-looking, huh?" she lightly said as she placed her sweater and jacket collar back in place.

"No! I mean, I don't think it's gross. You have a wild adventurous life and you can prove it. I bet you have loads of mates back in the states, yeah?" he commented, leaning back to watch the stars, acutely aware his companion also relaxed beside him on the ground.

"No, actually I don't. My first friend was Harry. I don't think Madre and Pops count as friends."

"You've got to be kidding. That's nearly impossible to believe."

"Nearly?" Dante asked for an explanation.

"Yeah," he said simply, "anything's possible."

A smile tugged at the girl's lips at his words.

"Dante?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't really have friends either. I've had Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, and a few others, but you're the first I actually like."

"How do you become friends with someone you don't like?" she asked, not even thinking what her words sounded like until she felt him stiffen beside her.

"Father likes to keep purebloods around."

"I see," she replied quietly, ashamed of her lack of empathy.

Draco was about to say something but was startled when his companion shot up, staring towards the forest with a smile playing at her lips.

"I've got to go, Draco. I'm glad you came out tonight."

He looked up and saw her smiling down at him. His heart skipped a beat, as it always did when she smiled at him. She ruffled his hair before running off and rounding the lake towards the forest, leaving the boy alone to muse about her knack for keeping everyone guessing.

Luna Lovegood was sitting at the table minding her own business, reading an article from a magazine when she felt someone beside her. She looked up and saw the popular Dante Browning had taken the seat. Dante and Luna were not "good friends" but they were nice to each other. Luna had a sneaky suspicion that the American was the one who dealt with the bullying, which had dropped nearly completely, and secretly thanked her. Slytherins often picked on Luna, which was normal, but the Hufflepuffs had stopped altogether.

"Good morning. What do I owe the pleasure?"

"I just wanted to drop this off to you," she answered warmly with a smile.

Luna held out her hand to catch the gift Dante dropped for her. It was a necklace, but not just any stone hung as the centerpiece. A thick, sturdy strap of leather held a white teardrop shaped stone. The golden "cracks" made their way around the stone in a graceful manner, being pleasantly beautiful without being overly gaudy.

"Oh my! Where did you get this?"

"I heard you say something 'bout losin' your Treble Stone necklace so I got another to replace it. I don't know if it's as pretty as your original, but I'm sure it's just as effective," the other girl replied as she chewed on some bacon.

"Dante, thank you! I can tell it's an original stone and oh-I can't thank you enough!" Luna gasped through excitement.

"Sure you can, just let me know if you lose it. I'll find it for you. Have a nice day," and with that Dante strode over to the Gryffindor table.

Students gathered around the shocked girl to see what Dante had said to her. No one knew what was so special about the necklace, but they thought it was cool just the same. All because Dante Browning, country girl from the states, had given one to another student.

An eruption of laughter caused everyone to look at the Gryffindor table out of instinct. Olliver Wood was chasing a black owl around the room. Dante was only half chasing after them; everyone could tell her feeble attempts were part of the show. The owl in question landed beside a group of first years but quickly rose and flew from Wood's grasp. The laughter continued as Wood hopped up on the table and ran the length of it after the bird. Dante quickly did the same, heading straight for her fellow student.

"Chicken!" someone yelled and the room watched intently, still quite loud.

Dante pulled out her wand and made the dishes disappear from the surface. She immediately did a cartwheel, placing her wand on the table mid-turn and went into an aerial, grabbed her owl and pulled him into her as she did a backflip. She straightened into an Olympic stance, causing Bart to fly off, adding to the dramatic and suspenseful show. The hall once again erupted from the short silence into applause. Even a few teachers whistled, thought they remained seated unlike the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. A few Slytherins clapped a bit, but didn't join in for long. They had a reputation to live up after all.

Dante grabbed Olliver's hand, flung it up and with him, gave a theatrical bow. Once again she straightened and held out her arm for Bart to land. He gave his master the mail he took from Wood and gave his own bow before flying out of the hall.

"Sorry, Wood, but it seemed so lame this morning I just had to do something. You were fighting with your mail and so I acted on it," Dante finished with a laugh.

"It's quite alright," he said, holding his hand out for her to take to help her from the table. "It was quite funny. Absolutely amazing really. I didn't know you were so talented!"

"More than you know," she said slyly. At that moment she felt eyes on her. She looked up at the front of the room and saw Dumbledore motion to her. "Think I'm in trouble?" she asked, nodding to the headmaster.

"If so, well worth it. Good luck," he offered.

"Thanks," she said with a smile before walking to the faculty table. She knew every eye was on her. She was sure even the servant elves were watching the whole thing. She reached the table and stood in front of the Headmaster of Hogwarts. It was so quiet she was sure she head a pin drop and immediately thought of Fred and George. She held her smile from reaching her lips. "You wanted to see me, Sir?"

"Yes, Dante. You gave quite a show, but-"

"I'm sorry if I showed disrespect," she cut in.

"But," he continued, "How are your fellow Gryffindors going to finish their breakfast?"

Dante was looking down but quickly shot her head up to see a smiling old wizard.

"I got it covered, Headmaster, don't you worry," she replied with her own smile.

They shared a wink before she ran to the end of the table, waved her wand to make the food and dishes reappear and declared, "Let's eat!"

Her fellow lions cheered and began eating again. Harry felt his best friend take her seat next to him. Fred and George made their way to sit in front of them, both holding up a fist for Dante to "bones" back as she called it.

"That was hysterical!"

"And fascinating!"

"Where'd you learn to do that?"  
>"I spent my whole life on one hundred and twenty acres as an only child-you get bored," she answered truthfully, stuffing her mouth.<p>

Harry listened to her explain further for the rest of breakfast, which lasted an extra ten minutes, compliments from their headmaster.

"Off to defense then," he told her as he picked up her bag with his.

"Ah, yes, ol' Quirrel," she said as she inspected an over-ripe strawberry.

Harry walked in the classroom and took his seat without Dante; she told him she would be a minute late. He looked at her quizzically, but didn't prod.

"Everyone, p-please t-turn to page th-three hun-dred and tw-twenty four," he heard his professor stutter.

"Sorry I'm late, professor. Breakfast was a challenge," he head Dante say as she sat by him.

Quirrel yelped and jumped back causing everyone to look at him then to Dante. Harry's eyes widened when he saw her. Red liquid dried onto her mouth and chin, giving an impression of blood. He could hardly believe it.

"M-miss B-browning! Please, p-please go and w-wash up," he stuttered as he backed away farther.

"Sorry?" she asked as if she was confused.

"Go!" the man exclaimed before running into his office. "It's a f-free d-day, class," he said from behind the door. The students left with Dante leading. All of them waited until they were in the hall before busting out laughing.

"That was classic!"

"How did you think of that?"

"Where do you come up with this?"

"You are crazy!"

"Well, I figured we could all use a little laugh and we were only reviewing today. This is just strawberry juice," she said with a laugh as she tried to lick the "blood" away. Both fellow Gryffindors and the rival Slytherins were patting her on the back and shaking her hand. "Anyone fancy some chill time in the Great Hall?" she asked them.

They all agreed and made their way to the Ravenclaw table. Harry could hardly believe the rival houses were sitting amongst each other, laughing and getting along like it was the simplest thing in the world. He also noticed Draco Malfoy took a seat opposite of Dante, his eyes nearly glued to the American Prankster, as they decided to call her. The dark haired boy sat and watched everything before him. Years and years of rivalry didn't exist at the moment, only kids who attended the same school and had some classes together. That's how his life should have been the entire time, full of friends and laughs. Not having that growing up, it was clear that Hogwarts was that much more special to him. Here he made friends, had laughs, and was living an actual life as a kid, not as a dust bunny in Little Whinging.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: This may be the last chapter for a bit, depends on how this month goes. I did give two chapters though for the absence that will follow the update. I won't leave this unfinished though, I promise, I like Dante too much. There is another "f" word in this chapter. Heads up, this is like a two part chapter. As soon as I get the chance, I'll upload the second half. Enjoy!**

Chapter 11

Word of Dante Browning's latest prank had spread fast to all ears of Hogwarts. Peeves stopped throwing spit wads at passersby to bow to her and said she was free of his terrorizing for the remaining year. Snape gave both her classes easy potions to brew, saying he was feeling a little drained. McGonagall gave simple instructions to turn a simple onion to a rock, saying the students needed simple wand movements every once in a while to keep their wrists loose and ready. Every student wanted to say hi and receive high fives from Dante, even Slytherins.

A few days later Dante made her way to the Gryffindor table. Hardly anyone was in the Great Hall for breakfast causing the girl to remember it was Saturday. She slapped her forehead; it was also her birthday. Familiar eyes burned into the back of her head. Her smile met Draco's smirk when she turned around. He was sitting at the Slytherin table alone. He watched her get up and walk over to sit across from him.

"You're up early."

"I forgot it was the weekend."

"How did you manage that?"

"The hell if I know. What 'bout you? Why you here all your lonesome?"

"Bored," he answered lazily.

Just then Bart flew in and placed a parcel between them, followed by a group of other owls carrying many other packages. Dante pulled two handfuls of owl treats from her pockets and scattered them along the table, telling her owl to share.

"What's all this?" Draco asked, picking up an envelope and reading it after opening the flap. "Happy Birthday?"

"Yeah, I nearly forgot. I can't believe the padres got all this for me! Wanna help?"

"Sure," he said, thrusting his hand into the pile and pulling out his to open.

A few minutes later the table and floor was littered with wrapping paper, bows, and strings. They had raced to see who could unwrap the most and were laughing madly, ignoring the mess they made for the time being. Draco was making fun of her knee-high socks her mom picked out for her when he noticed she fell silent.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like an arse," he said quietly.

"Oh, no! It's not that. It's just, well, I didn't want everyone to know. I don't know how I'll get this all to my room without people seeing."

"Oh, I've got it. Dobby!"

Dante was about to ask who Dobby was, but before she could open her mouth she heard a faint pop. Beside Draco stood a small house elf dressed in rags.

"Yes Master?" he said.

"Dante needs her things taken to her room. Descretely. And when you return to the manor tell Mother I will take her up on her offer. That's all."

"Yes Master," Dobby replied with a bow and another pop.

"You have your own house elf?" Dante asked, a bit shocked.

"Well, ummm…yeah," he said lamely. "I have to go," he added quickly and left.

"I wonder where he's going?" she thought aloud before realizing any evidence of a birthday had vanished.

Dante was in the hospital wing. It had been a long day and probably the worst best birthday she ever had. It was the first time being in the infirmary and was surprised how the neatness and hospital-ness felt calming and warm.

"What a shit day," she muttered as she lay staring up at the ceiling, thinking over the past hours.

When Draco left Dante hours earlier she reluctantly got up from the Slytherin table and went to write her parents. The intention of a short letter was replaced with a rather lengthy story; she didn't realize how much she missed Dan and Lesta and all her animals. As always, Bart was on time to deliver a letter, but when she looked up at him she nearly screamed. His feathers were ruffled and it was clear some were missing. She watched him hold his wing differently from the other one and seeing him limp on the table made hot, angry tears fall from her face. Her heart broke when her owl looked up at her with his beautiful, kind green eyes; it was as if he was trying to tell her about all the pain.

She scooped him up and ran from the common room, hardly noticing a confused Harry quickly following her after a snowy owl flew to catch up. Not knowing why, she dashed for the headmaster's office. When she stopped at the entrance she stared desperately at the stone statue blocking her way.

"Oh, I don't have time for this! Get out of the way and I'll get you a pumpkin pasty," she said sarcastically. To her surprise the gargoyle started rotating upwards, revealing a stone staircase she had traveled up only once before. She burst into the office already apologizing for her rudeness, "But please, Sir, something's wrong with Bart! He's hurting and I didn't know what to do," she finished desperately.

Dumbledore looked at the owl Dante was still holding as he towered over the student. Harry watched quietly as his own owl remained on his shoulder, trying to figure out what could have happened to an owl at Hogwarts. A few moments later Dumbledore told them to see Hagrid.

"He lives in a hut right down the hill. Hagrid has a way with animals, both magical and non-magical. I trust him completely, as should you with such a delicate situation."

"Thank you, professor!" she turned and ran down the stairs outside the office door.

"Go, Harry. A friend is always in need, and it's quite wise to both be there, and accept help," Dumbledore said before sitting at his desk. He took a handful of small red bite-sized candies and placed them in a small velvet drawstring pouch and offered it to Harry. "And always accept candy from a teacher-only if you trust them," he added with a small smile.

"Thank you Sir, for everything," Harry replied as he took the gift from the headmaster.

Hagrid was out in his garden when he heard a desperate voice followed by loud banging of his door. He looked around the house and saw a young girl with a bundle in her arms.

"Wha' yer doin' there?"

"Oh! Please! Dumbledore said you could help. My owl, he's hurt!" she hurriedly explained, motioning to her arms.

"Alrigh' le's get in the hut," he said reassuringly, opening the door. He noticed Harry walking in behind the girl, his own owl in tow. As he checked the bird he told the girl about his job and allowed Harry to help with explanations of how the two knew each other. "I'll nee' ta keep him wit' me a few days. He'll be alrigh' here," he told Dante, seeing the worry lift off her face.

"Thank you, Hagrid, so much."

"Anythin' for the American Prankster," he said with a kind wink.

Dante let Harry drag her back to the castle. Everyone already knew about the strange case of her owl by lunchtime. While the students were exchanging theories at their tables, Fred and George were pulling out everything just to keep a smile on the American's face. She noticed Draco wasn't in the Hall but she was still being smirked at. Her eyes caught a Slytherin boy's. She forced her eyes to keep from widening as he held up a single black feather for her to see.

"I see it, Dante," she heard Harry whisper.

"That British bastard's gonna wish he never knew me," she said as she got up to follow the boy from the hall. She knew more than the usual crew was behind her, but she was too focused to care who was around. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she called out to the boy.

"Sorry?" he replied, feigning innocence.

"What was the reason for attacking my owl?"

"I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."

"Listen prick, I'm not gonna have you lie to my face, and I'm certainly not going to allow you to just walk away."

"Is that a threat?" he asked as he stepped forward.

A slight crowd had formed around the argument in the court yard and everyone was anxious to hear Dante's reply to his question. They watched her take a step towards him. There was a significant height difference between the Gryffindor and Slytherin, but everyone could see the girl was not intimidated.

"It's a warning," she said in an eerily calm voice as she looked up at him.

"She saw his hand flinch upwards and his mouth open to say an incantation but she already heard many shouts of "_Expelliarmus!_" all around her. Wands flew everywhere but she didn't let them distract her. She took off running after the boy with everyone following, forgetting the wands. Dante caught up to him quickly and tackled him to the ground. They wrestled around before a loud smack was heard. She felt a pain in her jaw but pushed it aside to focus on her well-placed fists. After a few hits they rolled around again. Everyone watched as the American caught the British boy in a choke hold.

"Why?" she demanded.

"I don't know," he sputtered.

"Not good enough!" she yelled, squeezing tighter.

"I…breathe," he tried.

"I don't care."

"Please! It was a joke!"

"Dante, his face is turning blue," Harry said.

She threw him off of her and stood over the gasping boy.

"What's your name?"

"Flint," he gasped, being helped by a few other Slytherins Dante didn't know.

"Listen up, Flint. You fuck with me again and you'll get more than just a can of country whoop ass opened on you. Don't test me."

She straightened up and walked away with a final look at the boy. No one wanted to cheer, but no one liked the silence. They were all greeted at the edge of the grass by an angry-looking McGonagall.

"I don't believe I need to emphasize who needs to follow me. Now," she said sternly.

Dante turned to give a half-hearted smile to her friends then followed the angry witch. She knew she was going to be expelled. They were going to tell her they had enough with her pranks and the fight was the last straw. But she didn't want to leave. She loved being a witch. She loved her twins and Harry. She wanted to figure out what "Poochy" was guarding. She wanted to continue her classes and return another year. Her legs mechanically followed the robe in front of her. She idly noticed grass stains and wet spots covering her jeans and arms as she looked down to the floor, half ashamed of her actions. This was it. She was going to say goodbye to Hogwarts.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: My reunion with my Hunnie turned out to be a reunion of the whole family when an Aunt died. It was truly tragic and unexpected and quite a shock. We were all lucky the family was supportive to one another as well as the comfort everyone received from the community. I hope everyone is doing well and I must say I'm glad to have something to get my mind back to normal. Here is the second part to Chapter 11 as promised, even if it was a bit delayed. Enjoy!**

Chapter 12

_Her legs mechanically followed the robe in front of her. She idly noticed grass stains and wet spots covering her jeans and arms as she looked down to the floor, half ashamed of her actions. This was it. She was going to say goodbye to Hogwarts._

Dante looked up when McGonagall stopped and found the infirmary doors standing before them. Confused, she looked up to study her professor's face. Once-smooth skin was rippled with wrinkles and the piercing, always-stern eyes held a softer look. Her thin lips were in the usual no-emotion position; even her voice was still stern when she opened her mouth.

"Madame Pomfrey will tend to your cuts and other medical needs. You will remain in the wing until you are released." She turned to leave, but stopped short to add, "He was asking for it," and then left.

Poppy Pomfrey was Hogwarts' mediwitch and had kept the position for many years. The older woman had seen many wounds due to duels, cauldron explosions, Herbology accidents, pranks gone wrong among other things, but hardly ever in all her years did she have a patient due to a physical brawl, and a young girl at that. The stern manners reminded Dante of her House Head and even though she was uptight, it was obvious she knew what she was doing.

"Just a few cuts and bruises," she reported in a tut-tut voice, "you're fine, but I was told to keep you here. I'll be down there in my office if you need me," she added as she pointed to her office door and then left before the only patient in the wing could say a word.

It was nearly two hours before Dumbledore made his way to sit by Dante. She had been visited by a snowy owl earlier which dropped off her wand and had busied herself with random spells to pass the time. Upon his arrival she laid her wand down beside her and slowly turned her head to look at him. His face was impassive; hardly any sign of emotion clouded his face.

"I suspect you'll kick me out then."

"Why would you think that, Dante?"

"Well, for one thing I've been pranking nearly every day since my first morning at Hogwarts…."

"Hardly a reason for expulsion."

"Then there's all that building up for these past few months and I figured this fight-which I admittedly started-would be the straw to break the camel's back."

"It's quite difficult to break a camel's back."

"I know you know more than you let on," she said, trying to convince the man she no longer worried about being expelled.

"Perhaps, but it is my job to keep things hushed," the headmaster replied, keeping his voice in check. It wouldn't do for a young student to notice he was paying attention to her moods and how often she watched for the changes in his mannerisms.

"Well, then, I s'pose I'm just nice enough to keep things hushed too," came another type of voice from her mouth. It was saying I know something and I will figure it out. It also made the old man pause before making himself comfortable in a chair he produced. She watched him settle down, knowing he was trying to figure out what to say.

"I believe we should have another chat. Tell me, what is bothering you?"

"I know there's a giant _three-headed_ dog in the castle, hopefully for a good enough reason to risk a student's death. I'm tired of Harry having strange headaches. My owl was attacked for no reason, causing me to lose my temper and patience. And I'm going to figure out what you're hiding," she finished ticking off the points on her fingers to look right in the old man's eyes as she said the last words. She knew he was hiding his surprise, but she also knew he was intrigued. There was something else too, something she wanted to grasp, but it slipped away too quickly.

The headmaster let out a sigh and took his half-moon spectacles from his nose. Dante wasn't sure if she should feel proud for breaking him or worried the old coot would have revenge for doing so. He wasn't going to give anything up, she realized. He was going to make it hard for her.

"Dantelesca Browning," he said when he placed his glasses upon his nose again. "I have a story I think you would be interested in. Would you like to sit a while longer so I can tell you?"

"_Of course, get my mind off what I really want to know…but if it means staying to at least finish the year…."_ She thought to herself before nodding for him to continue.

"Excellent," he said, sounding relieved. "A long time ago there was a young man who could create anything to take one's breath away. He was always the center of attention for what he did, even if he didn't want to be center stage. It was typical for him to do things on his own, never wanting to ask for help on anything. Maybe it was to prove he could do things himself, or maybe it was because he was afraid of other people being close, but whatever the reason, he kept his distance as much as possible.

"Now, as I was saying, he could create anything if he tried hard enough. In fact, he helped create different uses for dragon blood," Dumbledore put in with a raised finger, as if it was something fascinating. He paused as if forgetting where he stopped, before nodding and continuing. "An accident happened. He stumbled upon a rare and truly amazing, yet dangerous concoction. He didn't know what to do. No one knew of this, but he knew it would be most dangerous if only he knew what it was. What if he died and his accident fall into the wrong hands? So he told his friend, the only man who had ever been close to this creator. 'See what I have done? Understand what could happen? What shall I do?' the man asked his friend. 'Trust in me to help you and I swear I shall protect this as best as my life will allow,' the other replied.

"Years passed and rumors flew, the next wilder than the last. It is truly amazing what people can think of to say, as if a false story is better than the original," he said as if he was remembering the rumors like he had heard them himself. "Alas, to the community's disappointment, no clues or evidence was found to bring their ideas from the air to ground level. The two men never spoke of the creation, trusting one another with the secret and hoping the truth never surfaced. To this day it is rumored only the original two know the location of that secret. There have been stories, songs, poems, and acts based off this tale. It is a wonderful story if you look below the surface. It is a tale of friendship, a strong relationship full of trust and reliability. It was what everyone wants, but only a few may obtain it, and nearly no one realizes they have it."

Dante snapped back, the headmaster's last words echoing in her head. She was still in the hospital wing. Dumbledore had left her ages ago, but she didn't feel like leaving just yet. A tap at the window made her feet find the floor. A rather large, elegant owl was waiting to be let in. It dropped a large yet thin package on her bed before landing on the side table. Dante held out a treat when she took the envelope from its beak. The owl hooted, took it, and flew back out into the night. Looking down at the letter she knew it was from Draco. A smile played with her lips, a frown with her brow.

_Dante, I head what happened and I think it's bloody brilliant. If you do get expelled I'll be sure to find another school for you, you're too bright to not finish your studies properly. On a lighter note, Happy Birthday! I know I'm a bit late, but I figure you won't mind. Don't worry about meeting me tonight, I have a feeling you're a bit stressed. I'll talk to you soon. Draco._

Her face broke out in a grin when she finished the letter. It was a simple letter, but she loved it anyway. She ripped the package open and stared bright eyes at herself. It was a painting of her. Everything was perfect; the hair, eyes, smile, nose, the shape of her face, everything. The portrait was wearing a necklace, but as she shifted the canvas to get a better look, it moved. Her eyes caught sight of another letter. She opened it quickly, her heart beating faster.

_Yes, I painted this. Yes, the necklace is for you. Yes, I know I'm bloody brilliant when it comes to gifts. Yes, you must wear the necklace because if you don't I will feel insulted. I think it would look lovely on you. No, you don't have to tell anyone where you got either gifts or why. And no, don't thank me. I wanted to do it, though I wish your day would have been better. See you soon. D._

The awestruck girl pulled the necklace from the painting. It was a simple silver chain holding a fancy letter "D" with-diamonds! As if the letter could read her thoughts, she noticed, "_Yes, diamonds. My favorite stone."_

She almost could remember something as she read the note, but after a second try she decided it wasn't important. She clasped the chain around her neck and touched the diamond encrusted letter resting just below her chest bone. No longer in the dumps she placed her wand in her boot and grabbed the painting, ready for some rest in her own bed, to fall asleep with a smile on her face. For once she didn't worry about Bart, or Harry, or the fight, or the stupid Slytherin. She only thought of how a good friend of hers was able to start the day on a good note with her and wind down to the night on an even better one even with the shitty circumstances the day held. Maybe it wasn't such a bad birthday after all, not if you realized you had a friend you could trust to help you out.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Harry was sitting across from Dante, watching her expression change from excitement, to confusion, to sadness as she read the letter from her parents. She was stroking Bart peacefully; he had been successfully healed and returned a few weeks ago. All thanks went to Hagrid and his caring attributes.

He had noticed his best friend wore an expensive-looking necklace every day. Though he couldn't place when she had started wearing it, he saw her reach up to touch it often. An exasperated sigh brought his thoughts back to Dante. She was writing a letter, no doubt to her "padres" as she often called them. When she finished and watched Bart fly off to deliver the letter she turned to look at him.

"Mom has to cancel Christmas. Something about a make or break deal. Dad is going with her. I guess I'll be staying here over the holidays. What about you?"

"I'm most definitely not returning to the Dursley household for Christmas. I had planned on staying here over break," he replied.

"Well, we definitely won't get bored," she said with a smile. "We've hardly any homework, so our time will just have to be occupied with snooping around some more!"

"I think that's a splendid idea!" he laughed.

Before they knew it, everyone was packing for their trip home. The Great Hall was buzzing with excitement as students were exchanging holiday plans.

"We'll be at the Burrow,"

"This will be the first year in a long time all the Weasleys will be together for Christmas," Fred finished.

"That's wonderful! My trip will be cut short, my parents will be leaving for their anniversary trip," Hermione piped up.

"Well, we'll be here, so no worries," Harry said with a kind smile. Dante had a sneaky suspicion her main man had a thing for the know-it-all.

Harry walked beside Dante as they walked back to the common room. They had bid the Weasleys and Hermione farewell after dinner. Harry saw Draco smirk at Dante, who winked in response before watching him leave the castle. He had a feeling it was more than just a play-rival gesture. After stepping into the cozy tower they decided to enjoy the quiet for the evening, emerging themselves into their own books. He looked up to find Dante's lips reading a passage, something she rarely did, which meant something caught her attention. He glanced at the title of the book, _Known Stones to Know, or Not_, and chuckled lightly.

"Somehow I doubt a rock can be that interesting, mate," Harry said amused with the look on her face.

"Would you like to hear a story I heard?" she asked, looking up, a sly but serious look in her eyes.

Christmas morning started at about noon for Dante and Harry. They had spent the night before messing with Filch with some help from Peeves. While Harry set off some dungbombs in one corridor, Dante would create loud bangs and whistles on another floor. Peeves helped them maneuver around the miserable old man so they wouldn't get caught. It had been quite the sight to see Filch slump down to the floor in defeat, Mrs. Norris right beside him meowing pathetically.

Somehow Bart and Harry's owl, Hedwig, had found their way into the common room, waiting for their masters to wake. Evidence of a small party littered the floor and couch table; dirty mugs from cocoa, wrappers from mint sticks, chocolate frog cards, and parchment with scratched out games. They had fallen asleep on the couches in front of the fire, exhausted from celebrating all the running and laughing they endured whilst messing with Mr. Filch.

A fresh layer of snow covered the past few days' snowfall, leaving all the slopes, tress, and roofs looking snug under the white blanket. Inside the castle was another beautiful sight. There were decorated trees at the end of every corridor, House colors fitted for each one in the separate House halls. More decorations lined all the halls in Hogwarts' colors and stockings hung from the corners, full of candy and small gifts.

Dante opened her eyes to see presents lying under the common room tree, patiently waiting to be opened. She tried to speak out but her throat was dry from snoring all night. Ready to regret the decision, she leaned over and took a half-full mug of cocoa and took a sip. Surprisingly the sweet liquid was still toasty warm. Dante invited the remaining goodness to her stomach before finally getting excited.

"Harry! Wake up!"

"What is it?" he replied sleepily.

"It's Christmas! We have presents!"

"Awesome!" he exclaimed, getting up to sit by Dante on the floor.

The black and white owls watched as the two laughed and gushed over their presents. After they were done they piled all their gifts in front of them.

"Two more…I don't know if I can handle it! I've already gotten a new camera, jeans, a pair of boots, and books from my padres. Hermione sent me a book, Ron got me some chocolate, and Ariel and Leira got me some more explosives to use!"

"I know! I've gotten candy, books from Hermione, a sweater from Mrs. Weasley with a note from Ron apologizing, and a chess set!" he smiled down at his letter from Dan and Lesta. "And a wonderful note from you padres saying they want me to visit this summer."

"They're great huh? Plus they bought you clothes! I guess us hanging out so much they wanted you to feel loved like you're their own."

"Well, seems like we've got a bit more love to receive. This one's yours," he said, handing her a large parcel.

It was wrapped in bright emerald green with silver ribbon. She removed the wrapping quickly and gave a gasp when she opened the white lid. Inside was a deep purple coat with white fur around the hood. Long velvet gloves matched the purple along with a scarf. A note was neatly folded at the bottom. A familiar script met her already smiling eyes.

_Dante, I figured you would rip through the wrapping knowing it was from me, so I cleverly put this note in the box. I'm not sure what your favorite color is, but I saw this and knew I had to get it for you. I believe you'll look wonderful in it. I hope you like the gloves and scarf, my mother certainly did. Have a wonderful holiday, don't get caught, I know you'll be up to no good. _

_ Also, I love this hooded sweater you've sent me. It's quite cozy and how did you know I love green and black? See you before too long. D._

_ P.S. Check the pocket._

Dante searched her new coat for the pocket that was to contain something. She pulled out a small velvet box and felt her heart leap. Inside was a set of delicate-looking diamond earrings. They went perfectly with her necklace he had gifted her the month before. Another piece of parchment was folded inside the small box. She rolled her eyes playfully and read: _I can see your smile now. D._

Her smile soon faltered when she realized Harry was nowhere to be seen.

"Harry? Are you in your room?" she called up the staircase.

"No," she heard his voice behind her.

"Where are you?" she asked as she walked around the room.

"Right here," he replied, standing where she had last seen him.

"What's that?" she indicated to a material he was holding. "The last gift?"

"Yeah, watch this," and suddenly he was gone. A moment later his head appeared, floating around with no body.

"That's amazing! Who sent it?"

"I don't know. No name. They said it was my father's."

"Harry! Do you realize what this means"

"That we can see if we can get under Poochy?"

"And possibly a lot more!"

Their excitement and imagination was cut off short due to a grumble from Dante's belly. They looked up at one another and smiled before proclaiming, "Let's eat!" and running down the staircases, jumping off as they moved, daring their agility to fail them.

The two best friends spent Christmas Day taking pictures with Dante's new camera, both of them sporting new clothes. They had a blast in the snow; Hagrid and a few other professors built forts and had a bewitched snowball fight with the two. Quirrel quickly left when a snowball hit his garlic-filled turban. Dumbledore made an army of snowmen and had them fight to their deaths for a good laugh. Dante persuaded him to show her a few tricks she could use to bewitch movement with her snow creations. Harry watched her run wildly away from her snowshark which was following her snowman, which was following her. His tears were cold as they fell, but he couldn't stop laughing at the scene. His face was soon covered with snow and grinned at the disheveled Dante when he wiped the snow away.

Dinner was incredible. The two best friends filled their plates at the table they were sharing with the professors as they were the only students there. Many more pictures were taken as the night went on. All the suspicions and theories were put on hold. Nether of the two wanted to think about the possibilities under the trapdoor. Hagrid had let too much slip when Dante was thanking him for helping Bart and began discussing other creatures; she now knew a safe way to get past the three-headed dog. She had told Harry of the story Dumbledore told her on her birthday and how she believed it wasn't just a fairytale to teach other's to appreciate friends. But the holidays were for fun they decided together, they wouldn't do anything too crazy in case it would be the last holiday spent in a giant magical castle.

Two hours later the two bid farewell to their professors after a long, fun dinner full of entertainment and laughs. It was something else to see the faculty act so different away from the stress and responsibilities of the students.

"I'm full as a dog tick!" Dante sighed as if she was upset at the fact.

"You probably shouldn't be running and flipping down the hall, then."

"But I'm so hyped up! There had to've been extra sugar in our desserts and extra alcohol for the professors! Did you see them all? It was hysterical!"

"I'm not going to be able to sleep for hours, let's go do something. We don't have curfew tonight." Harry watched her run back towards him. He couldn't help but notice the new earring that happened to match the month-old necklace, they gleamed with every trace of light, as if wanting to be gazed at.

"Let's use that cloak! Harry!" she whispered excitedly.

They ran to the common room, dropped off their coats and scrambled under Harry's invisibility cloak.

"Where to?" she whispered when they left for the hallways. She had an idea of where he wanted to go, but decided to keep that thought to herself.

"I think I'd like to see my mum and dad again. You know, a last Christmas present," he said quietly.

"Sounds good, lead the way," she encouraged with a smile. This was the first Christmas she was spending away from her parents, and it was a bit difficult, but she couldn't imagine how it felt for Harry to have a first Christmas seeing his parents.

Harry was sitting at the base of the mirror, looking at his parents. Or so Dante guessed. She didn't want to look into it yet and decided to take this chance to really look at the magical mirror. It was clear to any eye it was an old mirror. Though it was in great shape, Dante was sure it had seen many desires and many rooms. She didn't mind Harry taking his time, she knew he deserved this. After all, his parents had been taken from him.

She walked to stand behind Harry. Only Harry's reflection showed in the mirror. Her eyes widened. She hadn't noticed the other time, but there were two Harrys. Harry was sitting down, looking at his parents, but his reflection was standing, looking right at her. As if the other Harry was waiting for her to realize the difference, he smiled. He brought his hand up and lightly touched his scar before bringing it down to the left of his collarbone.

"_My scar?_" she thought absent-mindedly as she touched her own scar. The other Harry nodded.

"Ready?" the real Harry asked.

"Yeah, sure," she said slowly, finally ripping her gaze to the boy holding his cloak.

Dante fell asleep that night with millions of questions she wanted answered. It seemed the invisibility cloak was going to become a usual accessory if she wanted progress with her journey to figure out why Harry Potter fell into her life and brought all the mysteries with him.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

It was another fine day at Hogwarts. A few students returned early from their holiday vacation, but no one in particular to the duo. Harry's day started in a grumpy manner, which didn't help Dante's mood. She was already fed up from the mysteries surrounding her and his mood made her instantly aggravated towards him.

"What's you're deal?" she yelled at him.

"I don't know! I can't sit still!"

"Well, go do something then," she replied in a calmer voice.

"Like what? There's nothing to do in this castle at the moment."

"Go fly your broom. You'll be on your own, away from the castle, get some fresh air…."

"Yeah, I think I will."

"Bundle up, wear that coat Dad got you," she said to his back. "Oh, Harry? You think I can borrow your, umm, _cloak_ for a few hours?"

He turned back to her, trying to see any source of abnormal mischief. None was found so he agreed. After he dressed for the broomride he made his way to the common room and tossed his father's cloak onto her lap and called out, "See you in a few hours!"

"Just remember! Girls love them some Potter flavored popsicles!"

"Oh, shut up," was his reply before shutting the portrait, leaving his friend to her own idea of getting rid of the frustration that seemed to follow them.

Madame Pince had made it clear to the students at the beginning of term they were not allowed in the Restricted Section in the library. "Seventh years are allowed in the section to the side of the entrance, the rest of the area you must have permission from a professor" was what she told them all. She even had a sign hanging where everyone could see.

Dante figured it didn't count against her since she was currently invisible. The sneaky American didn't know what she was looking for, but she had time to waste to look in the old, musty restricted book. She spent hours searching through pages consisting of famous wizards, secret and banned potions, ridiculous theories, and much more her mind found interesting. Nearing the end of her quest, she only found one fact half-way important. In one of the passages her eyes ran across the name Nicholas Flamel, a wizard who found several uses of dragon blood. She was only partly surprised; she had already accepted the fact that someone had thrown her into the mix somehow, why would it be so strange to hear about the same accomplishment within a month?

After finding no further leads in that book, she searched for another, hoping to find another mention of Flamel. Somehow Dante felt she knew the name, but she couldn't decide where or how considering she had been in the magical world only a few months. She also had no luck running into any passages containing Voldemort. Fed up and blurry-eyed she returned the books to their proper places before quietly making her way past the usually-scary librarian and into the hallway.

Deciding to keep hidden rather than risk being spotted with the cloak, she made her way to the Gryffindor common room. Once inside she folded the useful material and sat in one of the comfy chairs before the fire. Her mind was strained and her head ached. There was something about Flamel, something important. It was frustrating to see the name but reach out to find it was unreachable. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the portrait opening to reveal a soaked, broom-holding Harry. She smiled at him and quickly snapped a shot of the scene with her camera. She had to admit, Harry was a good-looking boy, even with his messy hair and skewed glasses.

"That's not fair!" he exclaimed after he realized what she had done. "I'm a complete mess!"

"It shows character, Bud, don't have a cow," she laughed at him.

"Whatever. Find anything?"

"A bit," she nodded. "Go up and change into some dry clothes, I noticed it started snowing again a while ago. Here, take this with you," she added, extending his cloak towards him from her seat.

When he changed and settled in front of the fire, Harry listened to his friend's discovery. He couldn't believe she had found nearly nothing in those hours spent in the library. Hogwarts was supposed to have the best selection of research and history material, but it seemed they decided against books like _Evil Lords Handbook to Ruling the World_ and _Every Psycho's Wish and How to Get Them._ After a few minutes of them staring at the fire Harry piped up.

"I was thinking-"

"Easy, don't hurt yourself."

"Very funny. I was thinking about that name, Nicholas Flamel, and I'm almost certain I've heard it before."

"Me too, except I can't figure out how or where or when," Dante replied, sighing in defeat.

"Well," Harry said after a few more moments. "I guess we'll just have to keep our eyes open even wider. We've both only been around magic for a few months, there's only so far Nicholas Flamel's name can go before we push it away for new material."

"Agreed," she said with a nod at his proposal. "Keep our eyes open, but our noses clean."

The holidays passed uneventfully for the two friends. As more and more students returned to Hogwarts Harry and Dante found it harder to sneak around and ignore the fellow students to read up in their books, saying they needed to finish homework. What was worse, as soon as classes started up again the professors loaded their students with more homework than before. Dante rarely had free time since she had extra Transfiguration and Potions, often leaving Harry to use his cloak alone. The Weasley twins hardly had time of their own to prank on a regular basis.

February rolled around and it was clear to see everyone was tense and exhausted. The classwork was intense and people were breaking under the pressure. Dante sat in her usual chair in the common room, but her mind wasn't on her essays, or the mysterious case of Nicholas Flamel. She needed a break, as did everyone else, and she knew just what the cure would be.

"Attention fellow Gryffindors!" she announced suddenly, standing from her seat. Everyone looked at her expectantly, unsure of what to think. "I believe it's time we've had a bit of fun. It's a beautiful day outside and the conditions are perfect for what I've got in mind."

"It's nasty and muddy from the snow melting, what could possibly be perfect about that?" asked Olliver Wood.

"Well, Olive, if you don't want to find out, that's your loss. Anyone interested needs to get dressed and meet me by the front doors," she added to the crowd. She smiled as everyone left their studies to do as she instructed. She ran out the portrait hole and made her way to Hufflepuff.

"Everyone needs a break!" she said after being invited in their common room and getting their attention. Most of them agreed to meet her by the front doors before they watched her dash back into the hallway. The Ravenclaws were a bit reluctant to leave their work, but eventually a handful decided to join her. Only a few Slytherins agreed to join the fun, more out of curiosity than anything.

"Fantastic! Tell the others to go ahead outside. I've got something to do real quick," she told the retreating Slytherins. "Draco, I need your assistance, trust me, you're going to _love_ this."

The rival house friends slipped through the secret wall that led to the side of the castle. They were laughing as they peaked around the corner to see the large group of confused but excited students.

"On the count of three. One, two-three!" she yelled.

Before the students could comprehend what was happening, a large mud wave was crashing down on them, muffling their screams and stifling their escape. Fred and George recovered first and quickly started bewitching mud globs to hurtle at Dante and Draco. Students screamed in excitement and quickly joined in the battle. For hours Dante led them to play in the mud. They had belly sliding races, wrestling matches, mud sculpting contests and even some mud houses here built for "safety" from an intense game of hide-and-seek tag.

"It's dinner time!" Dante called, getting all their attention. She smiled at her fellow students; every one of them covered head to toe with mud sporting bright smiles on their faces. "I say we give the others who didn't get to have fun a huge hug of sympathy when we see them!" she laughed, giving them a mischievous grin and matching wink. They all cheered in agreement as they made their way to the Great Hall. Harry saw the shock on the teachers faces when the huge group walked in and tackled the clean students. Shocked shouts of protest rang through the hall but quickly turned into laughter. Everyone sat to eat at different House tables as the play banter continued. After a few minutes, Dumbledore rose from the Head table to get everyone's attention.

"Who is behind all of this?"

All smiles faded as they watched Dante rise from her seat to take the blame.

"Miss Browning, in all my years at this school I have never seen such an act! Everyone is completely covered in mud. Nearly all the students are not at their House table. I believe I am at a loss for such a situation."

"I take full responsibility, Sir," she replied, her voice set in a strong yet respective tone.

"All I can do, Miss Browning," he said, "is bow to your sense of humor and your outstanding way of having fun. It seems we all needed d laugh." He inclined his head to her.

The hall erupted with cheer and whistles. The sudden applause was deafening against the stone silence from the headmaster addressing Dante.

"Thank you, Sir! Couldn't have done it without 'em!" she yelled, causing everyone to grow louder. "Let's eat!" she proclaimed before sitting down again.

The girl was given high fives, approving nods, knuckles to pound, pats on the back and millions of smiles all through dinner.

"Why'd you wash your jewelry?" Harry asked from across the table.

"I didn't," she replied, looking at her necklace. To her amazement, it was sparkling with clean smugness. "My earrings as well?" she looked to see Harry nodding.

"It's because I would never give cheap jewelry as a gift to _any_ girl," came a voice Dante knew too well. She smiled at Draco as he took a seat next to her. Harry couldn't believe what he just heard or what he was seeing. He nearly fell over when he saw Dante peck Draco's cheek.

"Thank you, I wear them every day," she said, smiling broadly.

Draco gave his usual smirk and began piling food onto this plate. Dinner seemed to last longer than usual but eventually, after a long and intense process of chocolate frog races and card swapping, the students made their way back to the appropriate Houses to clean up and rest. It had been quite an evening for many of them. Harry saw Dante give Draco a wink as he left for the dungeons and decided to figure out what was going on between the two.

"So he's the one who gave you the jewelry," Dante heard to her right, knowing Harry wasn't asking, but stating a disgusted opinion.

"Yes. The necklace was for my birthday and the earrings for Christmas."

"Your birthday?"

"Please, not so loud," she shushed him, looking around the hall for anyone listening. "I don't like birthday wishes."

"Unless they're with expensive things?" he shot back.

"Harry! He only knew because he was there when my presents arrived in the Great Hall from Mom and Dad! I had no idea he would give me presents."

"Presents? As in plural? Dante what the hell? What have you been keeping from me?" he asked incredulously as he stopped her to face him. He made sure the halls were empty before continuing. "He's a Slytherin, everyone knows they're bad. They hate anyone who's not a pureblood and anyone who associates with muggle borns or half-bloods."

"You don't know the first thing about him, Harry Potter!" She was losing her cool and it was evident from the crackle of magic surrounding her. "I talk to him nearly every night, he's a good friend of mine, and I won't have you say such things about him, especially after today. Didn't you see those _horrible_ Slytherins out there? They were socializing with the other Houses, having fun with people they s'posedly hate!"

"That's why you've been sneaking out after hours? You go and meet with a _Slytherin_?"

"Harry, I won't allow you to bash a friend of mine, just how I don't tolerate people bashing you. Accept this or not, but I won't stop being his friend until he does something against me. The same goes for you, and your toes are too close to the line."

A moment of silence fell over the corridor as the two stared each other down, not wanting to lose a friend, but not wanting to lose a fight. Slowly their frowns relaxed and Dante knew she won when she watched her dark haired friend look away and shuffled his feet.

"Fine, it's fair, but if he does anything I'm free to do what I please," he finally replied. They started walking towards the common room again. "So, is the coat warm?" he asked to break the remaining tension.

"It's absolutely wonderful," she responded through a smile, knowing their fight was over for good.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: To answer The Chaos Legionnaire: I have friends who have been shot and left for dead in the woods, it happens more times than you would think. Later in a different story you'll see this is a different time frame, but yes, you are correct, a '94 Brit would say "wicked" instead. My OC is not "bound to Voldemort" and even if it turns out to be a "half-cocked plot" I still write and there are those who read. McGonagall may not approve of violence, but remember she is an animal as well at times and I'm not J.K. so the characters will be a little different. There will be a time for seriousness, but I don't feel an eleven year old should be bound to such adult ways, hence the fun. I'm almost done, soon you won't have to worry about reading this story that you don't really care for. To the others, here is another chapter, though a bit late, and soon this first year will come to an end. Enjoy!**

Chapter 15

Dante closed her notebook and tossed her faux quill onto the table. Her eyes needed a break from all the reading and her brain needed to relax; it was straining to focus on the work when it wanted to think about Flamel. There was hardly any noise in the tower besides the crackle of the warming fire. Exams were closing in and everyone spent time in the library to study. The quietness in the common room also had to do with the fact Harry had failed to capture the Snitch during the last Quidditch match, causing the Gryffindors to lag behind on House points. She found it shameful to see people so upset over points. Deciding to avoid hurting herself she pulled out her _Known Stones_ book to look over again. She had read every passage and decided she would look for the second volume for next year.

After a few moments she realized her companion had also fallen bored and decided his chocolate frog card collection was more important than the two hundred line Potion essay. She smiled as she remembered all the chocolate frog races the evening of the Mud Blast, as most of the student body was calling it. Several weeks had gone by and still many stories were being told. Every student participated in the card bets after dinner. That is, if during the race your frog lost, your card was the pay in. It had been a glorious and enjoyable victory to take Draco's cards, which had all been won from his fellow Slytherins.

A shuffling sound broke Dante's trance. She looked down and saw multiple cards had fallen from Harry's deck onto the floor. She smiled at his clumsy showmanship before sliding down from her chair onto the floor to help him gather them up. There was a witch who became famous for killing a rogue vampire when it tried attacking a child. Some old wizard by the name of Digelous Dilly got his own card for being the first to consider goblins as an equal race, therefore the founder of the alliance between the wizarding world and the goblin realm. She wished he hadn't left his frame; she wanted to see what the old coot looked like. Just as she started to rise, she felt her heart stop at the sight of Flamel's name.

Her eyes shot to the top of the card and read "Albus Wolfric Percival Brian Dumbledore." She stared at the blank frame, willing his picture to slide into view from where ever else he was at the time; as if not believing it was his card until his face appeared. Taking a deep breath to keep form screaming she started reading the caption. She knew her abrupt halt would make Harry curious. She knew her legs would cramp if she didn't sit or stand fully. She also knew she was about to regret the next words out of her mouth.

"Dragon blood uses. Nicholas Flamel. Sorcerer's Stone."

"Lookin' at Professor Dumbledore's card?"

The momentum of her neck was enough to break a steel pipe. Harry met her almost-angry eyes and flinched. He watched her turn back to the card and chew on the inside corner of her lip. He knew Dante well enough to see her moods through her actions. She was curious, upset, and finally the look of understanding fell onto her face. He watched her stand and take her seat once more, still staring at the card, but not sure she was actually looking at it. Harry was trying to understand why she was acting so strange over a chocolate frog card. He thought over what she had just said and knew somehow it was important. Why did the professors have to assign so much work at the same time? All the strenuous studying was keeping him from helping his best friend.

"It wasn't just a story," she muttered.

"What?"

"Harry, the story Dumbledore told me…it really happened. He was there…he helped Nicholas Flamel. It wasn't a story about good friends. It was a hidden message." She looked up at him and waited for his brain to click.

"I'll get my cloak," he said with a nod, knowing a trip to the library was on the agenda.

Hours later, after searching books and scanning passages they finally hit the jackpot. In the dark isle of books under the cloak with their wands lit, the two friends read the small paragraph that made everything fall into place. There was a stone Flamel made, the Philosopher's Stone, the concoction Dumbledore mentioned. Reading the passage, Dante understood why the headmaster had said it was dangerous. Harry sat and listened to the story again and how things were connected. He could hardly believe he had been in that very vault that had been broken into, which had held such an important artifact. And Dumbledore knew.

"Well, I guess we know why Fluffy is here," Dante whispered.

"If Dumbledore has it here, the most secure and safest place in the wizarding world, that means someone is after it. The Gringotts break-in is proof," Harry added. "It's no wonder Hermione didn't find anything when she looked. It says here it was created hundreds of years ago."

"Hermione?" Dante asked surprised. Even in the low light she could see a faint blush reach her friend's cheeks. It had been obvious the brown haired bookworm was around the dark haired spectacled boy more and more with every passing week, but it was shocking to hear he had confided the little project into her trust. "You told her about all this?"

"Well, not all of it…." He was fidgeting. "It's just that we couldn't find any good leads and so I asked for her help. She's really good when it comes to research. I didn't think it would hurt for some extra reading eyes."

"Well do you think she would be up for a late night investigation?"

"I doubt it, not with all the homework we've been given."

"Even if you update her on the new found information?" Dante asked with a slight rise of her brows in disbelief. She watched him furrow his brows at the thought before smiling sheepishly and shaking his head. "Fine, we'll lay low until the workload lessens. Until then we need to figure out who wants this stone…." Harry heard her voice trail off and watched her eyes lose focus. "You know," she whispered, "I've seen Professor Snape and Quirrel whispering in random hallways at random hours."

"So?"

"Seriously?" She looked at her friend with a look that told him to think about it. She watched his face as his brain roamed around until his face turned to shock.

"You mean you think they're after the Sorcerer's Stone?"

"No…I think Quirrel is after it."

"Why him? He's practically harmless."

"Think about it. How would he know if a troll got into Hogwarts? Especially when he should have been at the feast. Actually, on second thought, how does a troll get into a school anyway?"

"Okay so let's just say Quirrel is definitely after this stone, do we tell anyone? Especially because this is _Hogwarts_, safest place ever, even safer than Gringotts?"

"Well when you say it like that it makes it sound like we're five years old, running to daddy because someone took our crayons," Dante replied. After a few more minutes she nodded her head as she came to a conclusion. "Fine, we don't say anything. I mean, nothing outlandish has happened recently, maybe nothing will. No trolls, no more floating cloaks, and no howls of anger from Fluffy."

"How about we just keep an extra eye to attention on Quirrel…and even Snape for good measure. If we see anything, we'll tell someone."

Weeks passed and Dante found herself bored. So did the other students. The halls of Hogwarts were still full of the American's name, but rather than laughing and discussing her as usual, the voices were wondering why she hadn't been acting up and causing a ruckus. Of course she made a comment from time to time and kept Quirrel on his toes, but she stopped disrupting class and canceling the curriculum for her own fun. The Weasley twins were unsure of what caused the sudden leash to hold their fellow prankster back from all the fun, but knowing she didn't include them in too much, decided she was going through something personal. The two kept the spotlight off the American whenever possible, thinking maybe attention was something she was getting tired of.

Harry was convinced they were watching the wrong man and decided to judge every professor's mood and the actions outside of the classroom. Hermione was no help as far as Dante was concerned. It seemed the bushy-haired bookworm didn't believe in any of the "nonsense" the two were getting themselves into. Dante was convinced Hermione was only turning down the possibility of theft because she was second to the American's grades. It didn't matter to Dante, as long as she passed she was going to be happy, and while all the students were distracted by the assignments before the end of the year, she was busy keeping all her available senses ready to strike against whoever dared to get past Fluffy.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Parchment littered the common rooms. Broken quills and emptied ink bottles found themselves under couches, in corners, and tossed aside before the elves cleaned up in wee hours of desertion. Feet were sore, fingers ached, eyes remained strained and Madame Pomfrey was administering small vials of potion for headaches and stress. Professors graded, gave lectures, helped clueless students, and wore themselves out trying to prepare their students. Book pages were damaged, table tops were drooled upon, and snores were hushed in the library. Everyone was exhausted. The corridor floors even seemed to regret the feet that made their way up and down the halls.

Even the American, who had learned how to study properly by her father, hated the finals. She had always been there for a break and thought of something for her fellow students to do before returning to work, but she was too busy keeping up with her own study routine. She made time for Harry though. His studying consisted of reading a few things and then going onto another subject. Dante knew that particular system was going to get him not very far, fast. With all the students with different notes for different hours for the library, no one wanting to share the common room, and the curfew, it seemed Hogwarts youngsters were losing sleep and gaining nerves.

"Harry."

The boy didn't want to open his eyes. It seemed as if he had just felt the pillow meet his head when he heard the familiar voice. He was exhausted and didn't want to answer his friend.

"Harry."

Maybe the possum act would work?

"Harry. Wake up," he heard again, with a poke to the ribs.

"What could you possibly want at this hour?" he mumbled.

"Stopping a break-in! Now get dressed!"

Instantly he jumped up, forgetting how tired he was and silently cursing the rushing feeling to his head. He put on whatever clothes Dante threw at him, grabbed his wand, and followed her downstairs to the common room to meet Hermione by the fireplace. Harry was confused as to why Hermione was up and waiting for something to be said instead of sleeping or saying something first.

"How do you know it's happening tonight?"

"I was out like usual when I saw a cloaked figure run from the woods into the castle. I just have a feeling Harry," she added at his skeptical look. "If we're wro-if I'm wrong, I'll take any and all blame." She tried to give her best sad look she could muster, but she knew he would be too curious to ignore the possibility of someone getting the Sorcerer's Stone. She nearly yipped in glee when he nodded, causing her to lead the two at a quick pace to Fluffy's door.

Just as Hermione was about to unlock the door someone cleared their throat behind the trio. Dante whirled around with her wand ready, but lowered it as she realized who it was. A silent shock passed through before Hermione hoarsely shrieked in response.

"Ron! What are you doing here?"

"Following you three! I heard Dante wake Harry and say something about breaking in."

"Ron," Dante cut in before Harry could say a word. "You really need to go back to your room."

"That hell I will. What're you doing here anyway? This level has been restricted," he added as if it was a new fact.

"Why don't you grow some balls and have a little fun like your brothers? If you're coming with us, then don't slow us down," she turned and opened the door, revealing a sleeping three-headed dog.

Ron gave an audible gulp, but followed the others in silently. Dante pointed to a harp that was playing soft music, knowing Harry understood, and hoping the other two knew to stay quiet. Hermione levitated an over-sized paw off the trapdoor and pulled it open.

"The music!" She yelled and grabbed for the still gaping Ron, throwing him in as she told them to jump. She saw Hermione fall in safely after Ron's screaming body before she felt her robes jerk her away. Thankful there were fingers and not teeth flailing her around, she allowed Harry to maneuver them around the giant paws and swishing tail. "Harry, I'll distract him, run for the hole. No arguments!"

She shoved him away as she pointed her wand to the dog and shouted a spell.

He turned and ran towards the gaping trapdoor and dove into it, hearing her yell to go on without her, that she would catch up, before landing onto something soft. As soon as that registered he was struggling to stand. He saw Ron gasping for breath as vines crept around and held him tighter. Another second and he was falling to the floor at Hermione's feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked them, seeing Ron nod and Hermione look up to the hatch above them. "She said to go on, she'll be furious if we wait." He lit his wand and made his way down a dark hallway, trying to figure out what the noise that was growing louder originated from. Through another door he found thousands of flying keys and a single waiting broom. He knew before Ron tried to open the door that it was locked. Not wasting any time, Harry grabbed the broom and took off. Like a whirlwind, the shiny fliers circled around the room, avoiding his touch and testing his agility. Just as he found the key he needed he saw Dante run into the room. Harry tossed the key to Hermione as he flew by, not wanting the keys to kill him so soon.

"Harry! It's opened! Hurry!"

The boy followed the three into another room. Dante slammed the door on the keys, causing many to lodge into the wood. Harry couldn't help but smile as he saw his best friend nod at the struggling keys and muster "Get ya some" as she usually did on such an occasion. Not that they often dealt with deadly flying keys, but they did deal with challenges. The four looked about the room and walked to the lonely table laden with various potions.

"See, potions. Told you it wasn't Snape," Dante whispered as Hermione picked up the parchment on the corner and began reading the riddle aloud.

"What do you mean? What is this? What the bloody hell is going on? Where did that three-headed dog come from? What's worth all this trouble?" Ron questioned, his timid voice slowly gaining anger with every word.

"I'm not explaining all that. I'm dealing with this," Dante said, indicating to the table.

"I agree," Hermione chimed and turned her back to the boys as well.

While the two girls read and reread the parchment and inspected each vial safely, Harry filled Ron in. The redhead was deathly pale when the story was over. Dante smirked at the look on his face and said, "Well, you don't have to come."

"I've come this far," he trailed off, not meeting her eyes.

"Hermione, I'm not reading this anymore. Only one is deadly, and I know for a fact it's this bottle here," Dante said, indicating to a dark red liquid. "The others won't do much damage, so I say it's this one," she said, picking up a lighter red vialed potion.

"How can you be so sure?" she sounded concerned.

"The riddle says so," she responded with a shrug, and before anyone knew it, she drank the contents. "Ew, cranberry juice."

The three looked at the country girl, completely perplexed. All four turned their heads to a soft click. The door opened on its own, revealing a dark room. Dante smiled at Harry and urged them with a nod of her head.

"You had better go."

"You're not coming?"

"Nah, I'll be useless. I'm allergic to cranberries."

"Are you insane?" Harry asked, looking furious at the tidbit of information.

"Perhaps, but we were wasting time. I remember Snape telling me cranberry juice would've looked better than a strawberry that time I pranked Quirrel."

"You just wait until this is over, I'm kicking your ass," Harry said as he walked into the next room. One last glare and a pointed finger and he stepped into the next challenge.

"Looking forward to it. Be careful," she called after him as the other two followed closely.

Dante's eyes got heavy as she watched the three leave. She sunk to the floor, feeling the effects of her allergy. Her skin warmed and her head span before the girl blacked out in the empty, cold room.

_That sounds like Hermione. And Ron. Where's Harry?_

"We'll come back for her. I can see she's breathing."

"What if she's dying?"

"She would have by now."

"_By now?_" _How long have I been out? Come on, Dante, wake up. Harry needs you. Wake up!_

Her eyes flew open, causing stubborn tears to fall down her face. She licked away the saltiness as she jumped to her feet. She wasn't sure how long ago the two had passed through, but she knew she needed to chase after Harry.

Harry was on his own. He left Hermione to look after Ron and before that he left Dante to deal with an allergic reaction alone and she was probably near death. He couldn't think of that now. He needed to focus on getting to the stone, and he did just that. Footsteps echoed as he ran down a hallway, his lungs burned as he tried desperately to keep his breathing under control. There was an opening ahead and somehow he knew he would be face to face with the stone. He slowed as he neared the entrance and stopped at the top of a set of stone stairs. His heart skipped a beat when he stepped into the room. Somehow he didn't expect anyone to be waiting, but he wasn't surprised to see the familiar turban that smelled of garlic.

Quirrel had his back to him, staring into a mirror. The Mirror of Erised.

"Harry Potter," Quirrel said with fake surprise. Harry noted it wasn't nearly as believable as Dante's acting. "Don't look so confused, stupid boy!" I can see your thoughts, you're wondering why I no longer stutter. The answer is obvious," he shrugged as if it was a well-known fact. "I no longer need to hide. I'm this close to getting the Sorcerer's Stone for the Dark Lord!"

Yes, Harry was scared, but he wasn't going to show it. Dante would have made up some sort of retort to hide her feelings. Here stood a man who taught him lessons all year long, but then again it was a stranger yelling at a kid for no reason. Where was Dante when she was needed? Maybe if he just stalled long enough Hermione would reach the professors and everything would be fine.

"So it's true then? Voldemort is still alive?"

"Don't you dare say his name!"

"Why? I'm not scared of a name like _Voldemort_," he replied stubbornly. He nearly flinched at Quirrel's movement, sure he was going to reach for him, but watched as the crazed man looked to think better of it and turned back to the mirror. A small movement from the corner of Harry's eye distracted him, allowing Quirrel to grab his shirt and drag him to the mirror. A different voice reached his ears then. His scar burned but he refused to show emotion, knowing Dante would not hesitate to slap him upside the head for showing pain. The new voice was telling Quirrel what to do, that much was clear, but Harry was too busy hiding the shock that had frozen his brain.

He didn't see his parents in the Mirror of Erised as before. It had been months since he had last seen them and it was clear his desires had changed. This time he saw himself in the reflection, but holding the stone! The other harry winked as he placed the Sorcerer's Stone in a small drawstring bag and dropped it in his pocket. At that moment the real Harry felt a sudden weight in his pocket.

"Well? Where is it?" Quirrel demanded.

"I-I don't know. I just see me," Harry replied, hiding the shock and wondering how he was going to get out of the situation.

"He lies!" It was that hissing voice again. "Let me see the boy."

Harry began stepping away as his eyes watched the turban being unwrapped. As the cloth fell, a horrible stench filled the air, demanding the boy to gag. His eyes widened in shock and fear when the man turned his back to him. An evil face was looking at Harry, complete with a snake-like nose, eyes, and pure ugliness. Harry wanted to run, he wanted to yell, he wanted to do anything but look into those horrid eyes. When the thin lips parted Harry then realized where the hissing had come from.

"Harry Potter, look what you've made me. I am unable to have my own body, for you weakened me. The unicorn helped, but I seek the stone. Give me the Elixer of Life, Harry Potter."

Harry's feet moved before his mouth could protest. He heard the face yell for Quirrel to grab him right when he felt a hand on his ankle. They were on the floor scrambling around when Harry caught another flicker of movement. His attention was back to Quirrel as the psycho tried to rip open the pocket containing the stone. Everything stopped when a loud, beautiful scream filled the room. The two strugglers looked up to see a large, black bird fly over. A shiny purple color danced against the stark black feathers. It rounded again and flew towards the fighting scene. Harry took the opportunity to wrench the drawstring bag from his pocket and throw it into the air as high as he could. Another piercing scream erupted from the bird as it grabbed the silk bag and flew into the hallway Harry had entered from.

"NO!" Quirrel screamed, his agony echoing off the walls as if mocking him.

He grabbed Harry by the neck and started choking him. Gasps of air went in and out of the boy's lungs, but he couldn't stop. He reached up in panic and planted a hand on the man's face, trying to push him off. To his surprise, smoke emitted from the other's face where his hand had been. Quirrel stood up, screaming in pain, trying to brush the smoke away. The face was hissing more orders as Harry stood and looked at the nasty effect of the strange magic at work. Quirrel lunged, but Harry was ready. He reached out and smashed Quirrel's face in his hands, even threw a few punched for Dante's sake. The professor's body began to crumble to the floor, leaving a ghostly face staring at Harry. Though it was mostly smoke it was clear Voldemort's face was angry. It soared towards Harry, its yell being out-throttled by the bird's screams as it flew through it.

Harry watched the smoke disperse and fell to the ground, faintly aware Dante was crouched over him. All he knew was Voldemort was gone, the stone was a bit safer, Dante was alive, and he was dead tired. The pain in the scar ebbed away fairly quickly after he closed his eyes. He wanted to sleep. He didn't care about the final exams he had to take; he would fail them if it meant he could sleep until the End of Year feast.

"I'm here, Harry. I'm not leaving you," were the last words he heard before slipping off into darkness to enjoy a few moments of rest.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Surprise! Extra update extra early. I wanted to get this over with and see how many people will roam across this story as "Complete" instead of "In-progress" if you understand where I'm coming from. I fall victim to searching only the completed stories every now and then, so I know there are plenty others who do the same. I hope you all like(d) my take. Here's the last chapter. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 17**

The school grounds were unusually quiet, even with all the whispers being shared. Rumors of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Dante Browning being attacked somewhere in the school were bouncing off every wall. All the students were sure they knew the cause of the attack, but most were too proud to say they didn't know what happened. A rumor of a giant squid squeezing the life out of the Weasley boy was one of the first to reach Gryffindor Tower. Something along the lines of Dante being flogged by a flock of miniature birds reached the basements. According to a Hufflepuff, Hermione Granger had not one bushy hair left on her head because she fell into a pool of acid of sorts. And Harry Potter, well, he had the worst fate. If one could round up all the stories, he had been stabbed, drowned, ripped to pieces, traumatized into a coma, and/or missing.

Slowly the rumors became silly jokes as a little of the truth made its way around the student body of Hogwarts. Hermione and Ron returned to their tower in time to ease the concerns before the exams. It was clear Harry was not in critical condition and Dante had in fact _not_ suffered beak-like wounds. But what happened? Whoever knew wasn't telling, and those of who didn't know decided to keep telling what they thought. Hermione was able to ignore the stories, as was Ron, because they knew the truth. They knew where their fellow schoolmates were, and they visited them often.

The sun was shining into the too-white room when Harry and Dante woke. They opened their eyes facing one another, smiling slightly as he fumbled for his glasses before they took in the other's wounds. Harry had a few cuts on his face, bandages around his hands and suspected bruises were starting to heal. Dante's body was sore, but that was hardly anything to complain about. She could tell by his movements he was sore as well and most likely still tired; no doubt she was sleepy even after the forced rest.

Madame Pomfrey's footsteps lightly interrupted their thoughts as she stood between their beds. A few waves of her wand and a little inspecting later she nodded to herself.

"You two will have to stay at least another day. These are your gifts from the other students," she added with another flourish wand movement, making candy, chocolates, cards and other packages appear. "Miss Granger and Mister Weasley are healed and fine, they will be notified you have woken, but they will not be allowed to visit any longer. I will return later to check on you. I will be in my office."

The two Gryffindors watched their nurse walk away, not in the least fazed with her attitude since they were used to McGonagall's. It was as if the nurse, librarian, and their Head of House were related sometimes. Dante looked at her bedside table and saw a black feather. She picked it up and saw traces of purple shining off the delicate quill. Under the feather lay her necklace and matching diamond earrings. She almost smiled, but at a glance to Harry she decided to sigh instead.

"You know, funny thing," Harry piped up, "That night in the forest, I was led out by a black bird. And when I was trying to keep the stone from Quirrel, a black bird helped me. I'm starting to think it was the same bird." Harry's voice was full of feign curiosity and he knew his friend could tell.

"That's quite interesting, Harry. Maybe you have a thing with animals like I do," she replied simply.

"Oh, come off it and tell me!"

Once again Dante nearly smiled, but instead she looked into her hands on her lap. She could tell he wasn't too mad, just upset he didn't know what the situation was; that she was hiding something from him. She didn't know how to tell him. Dante never had to explain herself very often, and considering she hadn't been expecting this, she wasn't properly prepared for the circumstances.

"I guess it begins with my fascination of Potions and Transfiguration. I stumbled over a passage about how people can transform into animals if a potion is brewed properly. Of course it's a little more complex than a simple cauldron soup, but that's for another time. I was still thinking about it, but not sure if I would go through with it until that day I talked to Dumbledore. I saw his phoenix, Fawkes, and I was immediately pushed over the edge. Dumbledore gave me a feather of Fawkes' to keep-I guess my excitement of seeing the creature provoked him.

"Anyhow, so I went ahead and used the phoenix feather to finish the potion. The first night was that night in the Forbidden Forest. I was going to try it out, see if it was a successful brew. You can't tell anyone, it's illegal. Please don't tell. I wasn't expecting anyone to find out. I mean I could get in some real, serious tro-"

"Dante," Harry interrupted, "I won't tell. Your stress could kill a horse."

"Strain," Dante replied through a chuckle. "Your strain could break a horse." She continued to laugh, not sure if it was truly comical or if she was sleep-deprived.

"Oh, shut up! It's not that funny."

Soon both laughing students were greeted by the headmaster. He nodded politely as he conjured a chair to sit between their beds. Dante returned her jewelry to their respective places as Harry offered something to Dumbledore. Both were curious as to how much trouble they were in.

"I believe I will go for an Every Flavor, Harry, thank you," the old man smiled as he peered into the box. "This brown one looks promising," he commented before popping it into his mouth. "Hm, alas, caramel," was his comment, sounding slightly put out. "Now how are you two fairing?"

"Where's the stone?" they both asked.

"Destroyed. Ah, now, listen for a moment," he raised a finger to silence whatever they were going to say. "My dear friend Flamel, after I explained the situation, agreed the Sorcerer's Stone needed to be destroyed. It was his decision. A wise one if I may be so bold. No more trouble shall take place over the Elixer of Life, do not worry."

"So, is he gone, sir?"

"Yes, upon my late arrival to check on the Mirror of Erised and after a particularly beautiful bird dropped the stone atop my head, Quirrel was no longer living."

Harry swore he winked at Dante, but she was too busy being interested in her beans, or had she caught the subtle gesture anyway?

"Not who I was asking about."

"Oh. Whom were you referring?"

"Voldemort," Harry answered.

"I do not believe so, Harry, no. If he died ten years ago, then how did he show up here the other night?"

"The other night? How long have we been here?" Dante asked, slightly confused and worried.

"Well, tomorrow is the End of Year Feast, so…nearly a week."

"What about our exams?" Dante asked, sitting up straighter in her bed.

"Relax," Dumbledore chuckled, patting the bed at her excitement. "You two have been excused this year. I trust you will not make this a yearly engagement?" He asked as he peered over those half-moon spectacles to the friends. He watched them shake their heads and nodded in agreement. "Very well, I best leave before Poppy shoos me away for pestering her patients. I shall see you at dinner tomorrow evening. Relax, recover, and have many sugar rushes," he said with a wink over his shoulder as he walked away.

Dante grabbed the tiny, familiar bag from atop her blanket and tossed it onto her pile of clothes on the other side of her bed. She never cared for hospital fashion, but Hogwarts had a decent wardrobe for the patients and they allowed pajamas after a short time. Her brain stuttered at the thought of how their clothes had been changed but decided the answer wasn't worth the creepiness.

"Well, let us see how many admirers we have, shall we?" She asked her best friend, nodding to the pile of goodies and notes left for them. Harry nodded with a smile and reached for a card. For the next three hours they munched on cookies, chocolate frogs, played Exploding Snap, read cards, asked each other who someone was who signed off from a gift and laughed at the thoughtful present from the Weasley Twins; who knew it would be so amusing to see a floating candle from the Great Hall tied down by a Gryffindor tie signed by their Tower mates?

Dantelesca Browning walked beside Harry Potter as they made their way from the hospital wing to the Great Hall. They were leaving soon. Hogwarts was throwing an early dinner before the students left for the summer. The next day was reserved for the graduates. Those who were related or obtained permission to stay the extra night to attend the ceremony would say their goodbyes to some students in only a few hours. Only a few hours and Harry would be gone for the summer. Her first best friend and she would be separated from him for months before they returned for their second year. It was a depressing thought. She would miss everyone else as well, but Harry was the first kid her age who wanted to be friends.

She noticed by the echoes off the walls they were nearing the other students. Her eyes focused and made her head rise to look ahead instead of at her shoes. Pomfrey fussed and fussed before they were finally allowed to leave, causing them to be late. As soon as they entered, the hall went silent. Laughs died down, smiles faded, eyes widened, movements froze. Dante stopped beside Harry, amused at the attention. As she looked about the tables she could see rumors were still flying pretty steadily.

"You know," she proclaimed loudly, "It's quite rude to stare at two people who've been stuck in a hospital for a week. I know we're a bit skinny, but seriously? Mind your own business if you can't be polite."

Just as the first night at Hogwarts, Fred and George started the slow clap, this time standing. Everyone joined in and started to laugh and cheer for the two as they made their way to the Gryffindor table. Dante smiled and nudged Harry to do the same.

"Bloody brilliant!" shouted George.

"I loved it!" Fred added.

Dante and her hospital companion smiled and nodded to a few hellos before the headmaster stood to address the students. She faded out of the speech as she fiddled with her necklace. At times it would grow warm, but ever since she put it around her neck in the hospital wing, it had been hot. It wasn't a painful hot, but it was noticeable. She heard a tiny pop and felt a tug at her knees. She leaned back slightly and saw a familiar elf under the table.

"Miss Browning, Master Draco sends this," he said with a bow.

"Thank you, Dobby," she whispered distractedly.

The small elf nodded and left with a pop, leaving Dante to stare at a single white rose with green ribbon holding a small note to the stem. She opened the note and read, "_I'm sure your necklace was burning, I couldn't stop worrying about you. Every time you feel it warm, it's me thinking of you. Don't forget to call Dobby over the holiday. D_." At that moment she jumped from fright as all the students around her erupted in applause, whistles, and chants. She finally realized that the Gryffindors were awarded the House Cup thanks to the adventure the four embarked on.

Harry saw her roll her eyes and mumble about the points being worthless and couldn't help but laugh at his best friend. He swallowed the sadness he felt; this would be that last time he saw her for the whole summer. She looked up at him and tugged on his sleeve to sit down next to her. He wrapped his arms around her as the food appeared, wanting to remember she was the first to be his friend and she didn't even know who he was and had stuck up for him in the very seats they were sitting in the first night ever in Hogwarts.

"Don't forget to write!"

"Call me!"

"Call you what?"

"Hey, wait up!"

"I think I'm going to cry!"

"See you over the summer!"

Dante watched everyone as they hugged, kissed, and said their goodbyes and hellos. The train ride back to King's Cross had been quite interesting. Fred and George decided to use the last of the invisible goop and of course Dante helped. A giant battle of Sting Tag broke out, but the fun was short lived when the train retaliated. One moment everyone was defending themselves, the next moment everyone was hanging upside down by their heels. Shouts of surrender and apologies echoed through the compartments before the students were righted.

She walked to the archway and waved goodbye to the students who acknowledged her. A familiar head of white hair stalked away with his personal elf in tow, causing her to wonder what Draco's parents looked like. She saw the Weasley boys join their family before walking through the brick wall. Only then did it occur to her it was those particular redheads she had seen from her window the first time she boarded Hogwarts Express. On the other side she smiled at all the muggleborns greeting their families. Politely waving some more, she looked around for her parents. She ignored the polite whispers of explanation as to why "that girl with the funny boots" was receiving so many smiles and waves as her eyes searched for familiar and missed faces. Her eyes fell, instead of Dan and Lesta, onto a lonesome dark haired boy.

"What's up, Slick?" she asked as she approached him.

"I doubt the Dursleys will come pick me up," he said a bit gloomily.

"That's fine. We'll swing by on our way to the airport. Come on, meet my folks," she nodded towards a pair that had just emerged from the busy crowd into view. "How do you feel 'bout stayin' over in the states this summer?"

"Umm…."

"Never mind, we'll talk about it in the car," she interrupted as she led him to her parents. "By the way, Harry, can you ride a horse?"

**Author's Note: I'm beginning to feel the urge to start posting my second adventure with Dante, but I think I will wait until around the second week of April. With that being said...does anyone have any suggestions about what the next title should be? I could use some suggestions. My cousin labled this one, perhaps she'll do the same for this next one...I'm on the fence, as they say. I hope to see you all in the next story of Dante!**


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